A man controlled his wife through “physical and sexual violence”, leading to her taking her own life because she could not escape him, a court has heard. Christopher Trybus, of Swindon, Wiltshire, is accused of the manslaughter of Tarryn Baird, who died of hanging in November 2017 at the age of 34. The 43-year-old also faces charges at Winchester Crown Court of controlling and coercive behaviour and two charges of rape.

The coercive control charge alleges that Trybus controlled Ms Baird through using and threatening violence towards her, sexually assaulting her, monitoring her whereabouts, limiting access to finance, threatening to reveal private information to her family and isolating her from her family. Tom Little KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Trybus carried out “extensive and escalating controlling, coercive and manipulative behaviour including sexual violence of two rapes and other sexual assaults”.

He continued: “It took place over a sustained period of time behind closed doors and all of it during the course of a marriage.

“It led ultimately in November 2017 to a woman in just her thirties and whose name is Tarryn Baird taking her own life by hanging.

“She was the defendant’s wife and the prosecution say that the defendant is legally responsible for her death.”

Mr Little told the court that Trybus controlled “many aspects of their relationship” even from abroad using the “threat and fear of physical and sexual violence” leading to a deterioration in her “already weakened mental state and a cause of her deciding that she should take her own life”.

He added: “She did so in their own home. She had not managed to escape from him, despite seriously considering doing so on a number of occasions.”

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He added: “However, we say that constricted by his control she could never go through with leaving him, no doubt fearing the consequences if she would try to do so, and instead she stopped his control over her in the only way she felt she could by taking her own life.”

Mr Little said that Ms Baird, who worked at an opticians, left a note which said: “To my family, I am so sorry but I just couldn’t take it any more.

“I know you may not understand this but I just can’t explain the dark cloud that is over me.

“Please don’t let this break you but know I am now free. Nothing any of you could have done could have changed this, please just know that.

“I love you and please forgive me.”

Mr Little said the couple, both from South Africa, moved to the UK in 2007 and married in 2009.

Trybus, who is a software consultant and developer, denies the charges and the trial continues.