The Crown v Gerard Baden-Clay, 26th June - Trial Day 11, Week 3

[Amee]

12:43pm: Court has resumed.

Mr Byrne will continue his opening address.

12:39pm: Court has adjourned for a short 10 minute break.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...y-11-week-3-20140626-3aumz.html#ixzz35i3bmhRw

 

[kiwi50]

Thinking of Allison's girls, parents & family. They shouldn't have to listen to this $^%$^%$ !!!! :banghead:

Yes I'm sitting here furious, how dare the Defence do this to Allison and try and make GBC the victim, or turn him into a hero.
All we need now are violins playing softly in the background.
Can someone tell me, when they talk about GBC wearing dark glasses, are they talking of the frames or sunglasses?

 

[volunteer]

12:37pm: Mr Byrne has gone on to explain that in 2008, during Mr Baden-Clay's affair, business was good.

The southeast Queensland real estate boom was in full swing.

Mr Baden-Clay bought a Lexus to match his business partner Phil Broome.

"Because it seemed at that point the money would never run out," Mr Byrne said.

"At the peak of the boom they [Mr Baden-Clay and Mr Broome] were each being paid about $5500 a month."

It was against that backdrop that Mr Baden-Clay decided to move his real estate office to a bigger premises at Targina.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...y-11-week-3-20140626-3aumz.html#ixzz35i1e0OfG

How can you afford a Lexus on $5,500 a month?

 

[Freya1977]

Tessa Scott ‏@TessaScott9 1m

Jury hearing about "brief but sexual relationship" with woman in Sydney. He wasn't proud of it. @9NewsBrisbane #badenclay

What a modsnip.

 

[Kimster]

I am seriously on the fence about his guilt, whereas a lot of you guys seem to love to hate him. Having affairs, while not nice, isn't a crime. Neither is having an odd personality. Neither is being part of a strange family. Or being a narcissist. I dunno, just my 2c

Agreed. But there is evidence that needs to be explained. It will be interesting to hear their case.


This is my personal opinion and not necessarily the opinion of Websleuths LLC. Feel free to respectfully disagree.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

12:37pm: Mr Byrne has gone on to explain that in 2008, during Mr Baden-Clay's affair, business was good.

The southeast Queensland real estate boom was in full swing.

Mr Baden-Clay bought a Lexus to match his business partner Phil Broome.

"Because it seemed at that point the money would never run out," Mr Byrne said.

"At the peak of the boom they [Mr Baden-Clay and Mr Broome] were each being paid about $5500 a month."

It was against that backdrop that Mr Baden-Clay decided to move his real estate office to a bigger premises at Targina.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...y-11-week-3-20140626-3aumz.html#ixzz35i1e0OfG

$5500 at the peak of the boom? Doesn't seem like very much to me........thats not even $70K per annum.....

 

[Trooper]

I am seriously on the fence about his guilt, whereas a lot of you guys seem to love to hate him. Having affairs, while not nice, isn't a crime. Neither is having an odd personality. Neither is being part of a strange family. Or being a narcissist. I dunno, just my 2c

lucky for Gerard he isn't charged with those offences against everyone else's intellect..

what he is there for is to face a charge of murder , and interfering with a corpse... .. I'm ok admitting I hate him for that.

 

[Tishy]

Yes, I find it hard to believe that all they did was "talk" and work through things in a completely mature and civil manner, what with all the financial pressure and affairs. It's either a lie, or if it's true then I think their issues were always being talked around and not dealt with, until on the 19th it all came to a head. I think Allison knew about the conference, the ongoing affair, and stood her ground which completely undermined GBC's happy successful family façade. Gerard couldn't force either woman not to attend, and he couldn't wriggle out of it, so he snapped.

You'd be a Reasonble Person then....

 

[Total]

How can you afford a Lexus on $5,500 a month?

Right..that is barely $72.000 a year nett. Maybe he is not good at numbers either.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

David Murray ‏@TheMurrayD 1m
Gerard's business partners wanted to sack all the staff and go into receivership - defence #badenclay

David Murray ‏@TheMurrayD 52s
Gerard turned to his friends, wasn't asking for a handout - defence #badenclay

 

[drsleuth]

Kate Kyriacou @KateKyriacou · 36s

Byrne says in early 2011 the business started to feel some financial pressures. #badenclay

Byrne says at the home front, things had become easier. They had a routine. She seemed to be getting better. #badenclay

Byrne says Gerard was on the P & C, was a board member at the kindergarten, would cook, make lunches. #badenclay

Kate Kyriacou @KateKyriacou · 9s

Byrne says Gerard went to a conference in Sydney and had a "brief but sexual" relationship with another woman. #badenclay

Byrne says they were set to open on Jan 10 with a sales team of 25. Then the floods hit. #badenclay

Byrne says it was a devastating event for a heavily staffed real estate agency. #badenclay

Byrne says Phil Broom felt the pressure so much he sold his share. Says Phil and Jocelyn wanted to put the business into receivership.

Byrne says that's when he spoke to his friends. Says Gerard wasn't asking for a handout. He wanted his friends to invest. #badenclay

 

[Trooper]

How can you afford a Lexus on $5,500 a month?

arithmetic isn't Gerards strongest gift... odd , for a guy who is half an accountant.

 

[Freya1977]

Leonie Mellor ‏@leoniemellor 52s

Byrne: G #badenclay didn't want bus to go into receivership. Spoke to 3 friends. Offered to buy Phil and Jocelyn out of business. @abcnews

 

[Amee]

2.30pm: Mr Byrne told the jury Gerard Baden-Clay and his wife Allison worked together at Flight Centre at the George St office and became friends.

He said they began to date and the accused would tell them there was a “spark” that developed into a long-term relationship.

“He’ll tell you he never really connected with Allison’s family. The next year in 1996, he proposed to her and she accepted,” he said.

Mr Byrne said Baden-Clay started planning a life together with his wife, starting with a lengthy overseas honeymoon.

He said they were married on August 23, 1997 and left the country a week later, visiting Kuala Lumpur, the Maldives, Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Western Europe.

“They were both high-achievers and very keen of their careers and being involved in their careers,” he said.

He said Ms Baden-Clay worked in London and then obtained voluntary positions at Kandarstang International Scouting Centre in Switzerland from June to September.

Mr Byrne said the pair attended weddings of friends and then decided to travel together to South America.

“Gerard will tell you they attended a traveller’s medical centre to seek advice from the doctor as to what vaccinations would be recommended to that part of the world and one of the drugs or vaccinations to be discussed was anti-malarial medication,” he said.

He said a drug called Lariam was recommended, although it had potential side-effects.

Mr Byrne said the doctor said the side-effects needed only concern those who had a “predisposition” to mental illness or depression and they decided to take the once-a-week tablet.

“Gerard will tell you that trip turned into, for want of a better term, an emotional rollercoaster. The ideal marriage, the ideal honeymoon changed, in that Allison, for the first time that they had been together and for the first time in their life, started to have severe mood swings,” he said.

Mr Byrne said the accused would tell the jury there were days his wife did not leave her room, she was listless and unable to function as the “normal, bouncy Allison self”.

He said they travelled to Switzerland and stayed in the Alps where there was a risk of avalanche due to recent snowfall.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...-allison-in-2012/story-fnihsrf2-1226966924597

 

[BatWoman]

I feel like i can relate to Allison. I was 20 when i took a medication that launched me into lifelong mental illness. The depression and anxiety waxes and wanes. It's not something that can be fixed with pills or with therapy, but they certainly help. It got particularly bad during pregnancy, and whenever the *advertiser censored* i married let me down again. It got to the point where i didn't want him to touch me. I had kids demanding stuff of me, bosses wanting stuff, all i wanted was to be left to have some time where i wasn't having to give. Had he helped me more with the daily chores etc I may have had more that time, but i didn't. And every little thing he did he'd have to drag me to have a look at so i could praise him and it was just more giving. Having depression to start with tires you out and makes you flat and not want to go out. It's an effort to do the slightest thing. You just want to sleep and hope you wake up feeling your old self again.

The first time you get depression you don't know what it is. You feel tired and just want to sleep. You don't want to go anywhere. I spent 6 weeks in the dark in my room. You think that people are doing things that are making you feel bad, so it takes a while to realise that it's how you're seeing things that's the problem, and that you are depressed. Then finding an antidepressant that will work is another thing.

So after almost 30 years, a couple of hospital stays, every drug available & shock treatment I'm still depressed. But I've never had seratonin syndrome or wanted to suicide. I have had suicidal ideation I admit, but I knew that it was a symptom not what I really wanted. I would NEVER leave my kids. Even if one of them disappointed me for 5 seconds by not being the gender I'd preferred.

Once Allison stopped worshipping him, Gerard lost interest in her. If Gerard had invested in her she may have recovered, as she had in the past.

Just my little rant.

 

[coolcat]

I am seriously on the fence about his guilt, whereas a lot of you guys seem to love to hate him. Having affairs, while not nice, isn't a crime. Neither is having an odd personality. Neither is being part of a strange family. Or being a narcissist. I dunno, just my 2c

I appreciate your opinion and it is always good to have someone in here with an opposing view but I am interested to hear what your thoughts are on his suspicious behaviour or what your thoughts are to what happened to her if in fact GBC did not have anything at all to do with this - do you think it was suicide or foul play and if it was foul play - who do you suppose did it given that she really did keep to herself and no one else apart fro TM or GBC had any reason or motive to get rid of her?

 

[PrimeSuspect]

David Murray ‏@TheMurrayD 50s
Gerard bought business partners Broom and Frost out for $1 each - #badenclay

David Murray ‏@TheMurrayD 30s
Broom and Frost had challenged Gerard about Toni McHugh. He confirmed an affair - defence #badenclay

 

[drsleuth]

Kate Kyriacou @KateKyriacou · 26s

Byrne says Gerard bought Phil and Jocelyn out for $1 each. He says both initially stayed on as estate agents. #badenclay

Byrne says in Sept/Oct Gerard received a telephone call from Allison saying she needed to speak to him urgently. #badenclay

 

[Amee]

Mr Byrne said the accused would tell the jury his wife reacted to the snowfall and seemed to “lapse into what he describes as a deep depression”.

“That affected their relationship, it affected their good times together and indeed their intimate relationship,” he said.

He said the pair travelled back to Brisbane for Christmas, intending to return to Switzerland, but they were instead offered jobs at Flight Centre and it was “time to have a family”.

“Allison gave up work and they worked on having a family,” he said.

Mr Byrne said the accused was made redundant shortly afterwards, including the September 2011 terrorist attack that had affected the business.

He said Ms Baden-Clay fell pregnant and their first daughter was born on July 3, 2001.

“The impact of those combination of circumstances impacted on both of them. He’ll tell you it impacted on Allison in the way she tended to go in on herself, become insular and not want to socialise to the extent she did in the past,” Mr Byrne said.

He said Baden-Clay became more involved in the household and care of their daughter.

Mr Byrne said the accused travelled with his brother but cut it short to be with his wife.

“Even at this point there was no diagnosis, neither of them knew about the depression or the effects of it, but by 2002, whatever she had, seemed to be getting worse,” he said.

He said the accused would tell the jury Baden-Clay set up an office at the house and his wife had panic attacks.

He said she told the accused about “passing out” once while driving a car during the course of a panic attack.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...-allison-in-2012/story-fnihsrf2-1226966924597

 

[Freya1977]

lucky for Gerard he isn't charged with those offences against everyone else's intellect..

what he is there for is to face a charge of murder , and interfering with a corpse... .. I'm ok admitting I hate him for that.

Hear, Hear!