Swindon man accused of causing wife's suicide says Breaking Bad chat was "not serious"
Christopher Trybus is accused of manslaughter, controlling and coercive behaviour and two counts of rape
Last updated 30th Mar 2026
A man accused of causing his wife’s suicide by abusing and controlling her during a two-year period has told a court that a conversation about dissolving a body in acid was inspired by the Breaking Bad television show, but did not refer to his partner.
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.
He 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, asked the defendant if he had talked about snapping Ms Baird’s neck, cutting up her body and dissolving it in acid.
Trybus, 44, said that the conversation had been inspired by the Breaking Bad television show – but was not about Ms Baird and was not “serious”.
He told the court: “The context of this conversation was a murder mystery show, possibly Breaking Bad.
“Somebody might say ‘How would you rob a bank’ after watching a TV show, if you were a getaway driver what car would choose.
“It was just a conversation, no way was it serious or threats, just something we chatted about. This conversation wasn’t about her, it sounds awful now, it was about how we got rid of a body.”
He added: “We did watch Breaking Bad and I think there was a scene where they dissolve a body. It happened on Breaking Bad, it’s not something I would seriously consider or think about seriously.”
Trybus, who is a software consultant and developer, denies the charges and the trial continues.
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