Beau Lamarre-Condon denies stalking Jesse Baird
A former police officer has denied allegations that he was obsessively involved or stalked television personality Jesse Baird during their relationship, according to testimony at an ongoing double murder trial in Sydney.
The court heard that Lamarre-Condon, who is accused of fatally shooting Baird and his partner Luke Davies with a police service weapon on 19 February 2024 at Baird’s Paddington home, admitted to following Baird's Instagram after the pair split in April 2023. He said this activity occurred only online and not through physical surveillance.
Testimony before NSW Supreme Court
Lamarre-Condon appeared in the witness box for the fourth day during proceedings at the NSW Supreme Court. During cross-examination by crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, he was asked whether he had stalked Baird both online and in person between May and June 2023.
Lamarre-Condon: "Mr Crown, if you’re going to accuse me of stalking you’re going to have to show my phone records of where I was on these dates."
The former officer stated that his actions were limited to viewing content posted by Baird after their breakup, saying: "I definitely wasn’t stalking him, I was looking online," during the hearing at the court.
Relationship timeline and early interactions
Lamarre-Condon described meeting Jesse Baird in October and November 2022 for sexual encounters. The pair began dating romantically in December 2022.
Lamarre-Condon: "I never cared about showing Jesse off. I wanted Jesse to meet my friends because I thought he was genuine."
In response to a question from Hatfield whether he was obsessed with Baird, Lamarre-Condon denied this, stating: "I don’t agree with ‘obsessed’. Smitten? Yes. Obsessed? No.", adding that his affection did not extend beyond friendship or casual attraction.
Jokes and social banter
The prosecution presented messages between Lamarre-Condon and friends around the time they began dating, in which the officer wrote: "it sounds crazy, I love him".
Lamarre-Condon: "I say ‘I love you’ to all my friends and to people like that all the time. That’s different to saying I’m ‘in’ love with him."
Lamarre-Condon clarified he made jokes about being 'white girl crazy' only when speaking with female friends, using phrases such as 'you’re a crazy bitch'. He said this was part of banter among women, not an expression of romantic obsession toward Baird.
Breach of privacy during holiday trip
The former officer admitted to accessing Baird's phone during a brief holiday in regional NSW where they stayed at a cabin. He stated: "I believe curiosity just got the best of me.", adding that he unfollowed two to three people from Baird’s social media list.
Lamarre-Condon: "Our relationship was progressing, I just kind of wanted to see where he was at … if he was also messaging other guys romantically … I’m not making excuses for my behaviour."
In response to further questioning by prosecutors about messages between him and one friend, Lamarre-Condon directly challenged Hatfield: "Mr Crown, I think you’re trying to mislead me here." Justice Natalie Adams intervened, instructing the officer to answer questions without comment. She stated that if the crown were misleading him, the defence would raise an objection.
The trial continues with no verdict yet reached on charges including two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.