Gary Baird: Murder victim identified through dental records

Gary Baird denies murdering his wife Susan Baird at their home in Belfast in 2020

The jury in a murder trial has heard the victim was so badly injured that she had to be identified by her dental records.

Gary Baird, 64, denies the murder of 60-year-old Susan Baird at their home in the Four Winds area of south Belfast in August 2020.

He has pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter, but this plea was not accepted by the prosecution.

The trial at Belfast Crown Court continues.

On Wednesday, the court heard from a pathologist who said Susan Baird had multiple injuries including fractures to her skull, lacerations on her brain and forehead, and bruising on various parts of her body.

'Catastrophic injuries'

He said the cause of death was "catastrophic" head injuries consistent with blows from a hammer.

"It is not possible to accurately determine precisely how many times she had been struck on the head but undoubtedly many blows had been delivered," he said.

The pathologist also said that her injuries were so bad that she had to be identified from her dental records.

The jury also heard evidence relating to Mr Baird's mental health.

Both his GP and a mental health social worker confirmed they assessed him in hospital days following the alleged murder and made the recommendation that he be detained under the mental health act.

The mental health social worker said Gary Baird reported hearing voices to multiple medical professionals after his arrest.

He said Mr Baird told him the voice he heard was "not natural" and that he had been hearing "that same voice" since June 2020.

He also confirmed a bed was found for Mr Baird in the City Hospital's acute mental health inpatient unit and that he was transferred there the day after the assessment where he remained detained for over a year.