Source : Perth Now news
Accused double murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon has admitted before a jury to making it seem as though TV presenter Jesse Baird sent him flowers in a bid to find out if he was seeing other people.
Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of murdering a man he briefly dated, Mr Baird, and the journalist’s new partner Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies in the inner-Sydney suburb of Paddington on February 19, 2024.
The former police officer has pleaded not guilty and is arguing self-defence before a jury trial in the NSW Supreme Court.
Mr Lamarre-Condon began telling his side of the story on Thursday when he stepped into the witness box and started giving evidence.
The public gallery upstairs was completely full, with members of the public turned away from the main courtroom while he gave evidence as there was no room in court.
Mr Lamarre-Condon admitted that he made it look as though Mr Baird sent him a large bouquet of flowers in November 2023 in a social media post so he could find out if the TV presenter was dating another man.
He told the jury the flowers were for his mother.
“It was to give the impression that this was from Jesse Baird when it wasn’t, and I wanted to see if (the other man) would … pick up on it,” Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury.
When confronted by Mr Baird, he “denied” they had anything to do with him, Mr Lamarre-Condon told the jury.
“I denied, denied, denied,” he said.
Mr Lamarre-Condon claimed he “came clean” in a voice message to Mr Baird, telling the jury: “I completely owned up to it and was truthful and honest.”
The jury was earlier told the TV presenter cut all contact with him Mr Lamarre-Condon after he discovered he’d been going through his phone to delete messages and block other men, and made the social media post.
Prosecutors allege the then-police officer sourced the image of flowers from the internet and ensured men he perceived to be his “romantic rivals” could see the social media post but not Mr Baird.
When the TV presenter confronted him about it, the jury was told Mr Lamarre-Condon claimed his stepfather had sent them to his mother, Coleen, before dropping $160 to replicate the bouquet and asking Ms Lamarre to “pose” for a photo with the flowers.
There is no evidence he sent the picture to Mr Baird.
Mr Lamarre-Condon will return to the box to continue his evidence on Friday when court resumes at 10am.
More to come
