Image: Composite. PR handout supplied by NSW Supreme Court, Court sketch by Rocco Fazzari
Today’s hearing of Beau Lamarre-Condon’s ongoing double murder trial was unexpectedly cut short today, with the jury sent home just after midday.
The former NSW police officer has been in the witness box under cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court. He has ben questioned about an alleged break-in at the television presenter’s home, and has denied stalking Jesse Baird.
Justice Natalie Adams told the jury an issue had arisen that would take longer than anticipated to resolve.
“Members of the jury … an issue has arisen unexpectedly. These things happen in trials all the time, as you’ve probably learned by now, but it’s going to take more time to resolve than was initially anticipated,” Adams told the 15-person jury.
She said court would resume at 10am on Thursday, when Lamarre-Condon would return to the witness box.
Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. He has also pleaded not guilty to aggravated break and enter, and stealing Baird’s phone and wallet.
Lamarre-Condon says he ‘didn’t watch Jesse have sex’
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC questioned Lamarre-Condon about standing outside Baird’s bedroom window in April 2023, after what the accused described as their first break-up
Lamarre-Condon said he had gone there to collect belongings and intended to tap on the window to get Baird’s attention. He said he left almost immediately after realising he could see Baird having sex with another man through sheer curtains.
“I didn’t watch Jesse having sex,” he told the court.
Hatfield put to him: “It was stalking him.”
“I disagree,” Lamarre-Condon replied.
The prosecutor also asked whether he had created a fake Hotmail address for a man Baird had been seeing.
“No, I don’t remember. I can’t remember that,” Lamarre-Condon said.
He had previously told the court he entered that man’s email address into Grindr to check whether he already had an account, believing this could help establish whether the man and Baird were exclusive.
Lamarre-Condon denied creating a fake email address or Grindr account for Baird.
Questions over alleged break-in
Much of the morning’s questioning concerned August 17, 2023, when Lamarre-Condon allegedly broke into Baird’s home.
He maintained Baird had invited him to stay and left a key out for him.
Hatfield showed him a screenshot of a message he sent Baird that day: “Haha I’ll take that as a no to doing the catch up then.” It was followed by laughing and smiling emojis.
The court heard Lamarre-Condon sent the screenshot to a friend the following day.
Hatfield put to him that his account of being invited over was “completely false”. Lamarre-Condon disagreed, saying they communicated through several platforms, including Instagram, FaceTime, etc.
He told the court he intended to take Baird’s phone outside to look through his messages while he slept, but panicked when Baird woke and ran away with his phone and wallet.
Lamarre-Condon said he put a bobby pin in the front door lock to make it appear someone else had entered, in case Baird woke while he was outside with the phone.
He agreed a friend’s September 2 message to him, readfing “Love you Bobby P xxx”, was a joke referring to the bobby pin.
The court was also shown messages Lamarre-Condon sent another friend on August 21, saying Baird “had a home invasion” and: “He said he full chased after the guy too.”
Asked whether he put his phone into aeroplane mode on the night of August 17 and switched it back on early the next morning, he replied: “Aeroplane mode, yes.”
He rejected Hatfield’s suggestion that he did this because he knew he was about to commit a serious offence, saying it was for a different purpose.
Judge tells accused to stick to answering Qs
Lamarre-Condon was also shown a September 4, 2023 message in which he told a friend Baird had “rejected” his kiss.
He said the message was sent earlier in the evening, maintaining “we definitely did hook up on this night” and “I can say that with 100 per cent certainty”.
During another exchange, Lamarre-Condon : “You seem to be a bit confused.”
“Please don’t comment on what the Crown might be thinking or doing,” Justice Adams told him, directing him to stick to just answering the Crown’s questions.
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