Man Acquitted of Wife's Manslaughter, Rape Charges

0:00On April 22nd, a 44-year-old man from Swindon just got cleared by a jury on manslaughter charges tied to his wife's suicide back in November, 2017. Christopher Tribus walked free from Winchester Crown Court after they found him not guilty of causing 34-year-old Taren Baird's death by hanging. The panel also tossed out two raid counts and won for controlling behavior against her. He faced claims of choking her with a belt and strangling her during sex until she blacked out, but Tribus, who runs an IT firm, said he was out of. The country on travel for several alleged incidents, he pointed to her mental health struggles, likely from post-traumatic stress disorder rooted in violent carjacking she saw growing up in South, Africa. The jury of seven women and five men took over 40 hours to deliberate before dropping the verdicts in a quiet courtroom. Tribus broke down in tears, staring at the ceiling while cheers erupted from the public gallery. Outside, he hugged his new wife, Bair, whom he married this August, both crying and relief.

1:05Trial details painted their story. The couple met in South Africa, moved to the UK in 2007, tied the knot in 2009. Her anxiety and depression spiked after a 2015 burglary attempt leading to therapy. Tribus denied harm, explaining rough consensual sex with toys from Amazon, and in audio clip, the prosecution pushed, as assault he called, just there. Normal play. The judge praised the jurors for handling such a heavy case, with high stakes for both families, underscoring how tough their job was. This verdict closes a long chapter, leaving everyone to process the mix of grief and vindication.