Gerard Bayden-Clay trial begins

Scratches 

The trial of Gerard Bayden-Clay is finally underway.  This high profile case has been a long time coming and most people have already found Gerard guilty of murdering his wife Allison. Eighty people have been called up for Jury Duty and twelve jurors plus three reserves will be chosen.  The case will be heard before Justice John Byrne.

Allison Bayden-Clay was reported missing by her husband in April 2012.  Her body was discovered 10 days later about 10 kilometers away from her home on the banks of Kholo Creek in Brisbane.

In a pre-trial hearing yesterday, details of their marital problems were revealed when Relationships Australia counsellor Carmel Ritchie gave evidence.  Ms Ritchie didn't want to give evidence and cited breach of confidentiality, but her appeal was rejected.

She said Gerard blamed his wife's chronic depression for his three year affair with an employee and was annoyed that she kept going on about it.  "His attitude to the affair is to wipe it clean and get on with life" she wrote in her notes.

"I told him he can't put this in the past because for Allison, that past is very much in the present" the counsellor said.  Gerard replied "but isn't that regression? Isn't that living in the past?"

Then Ms Ritchie gave Gerard some very strange advice - she told him that he must listen to his wife's condemnation of his affair for 10 to 15 minutes every second night.  She told the court she "always limited such talks because they were "highly emotional", probably a gross understatement.

  Carmel Ritchie

Allison told her that during her honeymoon years, she had a "very severe reaction" to antimalarial medication Lariam which resulted in chronic depression, panic attacks and psychotic episodes.  Asked to sum up her feelings about Gerard's affair she said "inadequate, not good enough, believe I let it happen, Gerard's way is the right way, Gerard had an affair for the last three years, parenting, Gerard criticizes me, I fear that one day he will leave me." 

If only he had.