Beau Lamarre-Condon bought sim card under pseudonym a month before alleged murders, trial hears

During testimony before a Sydney court, Beau Lamarre-Condon disclosed that he acquired a mobile sim card under the alias “Bob Ballard” in late January 2024—a period of one month preceding the alleged shootings. He stated his primary motivation was to engage with the media regarding allegations of bullying within the police force.

Lamarre-Condon, a former police officer, is charged with the fatal shootings of Jesse Baird and his partner, Luke Davies, at Baird’s Paddington residence in Sydney on 19 February 2024. The prosecution alleges he used his police service weapon during this incident.

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter.

On the seventh day of testimony, Lamarre-Condon was questioned regarding his purchase of a sim card under the name “Bob Ballard” on 15 January 2024, approximately one month prior to the alleged killings.

Lamarre-Condon told the jury that the transaction had “nothing to do with Jesse Baird,” stating he was merely trying to organize statements concerning alleged bullying.

He explained that he was compiling statements concerning “bullying from a certain sergeant” but feared public disclosure and the resulting repercussions.

“I was wanting to compile all these statements and go to the media,” he declared before the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday.

“I didn’t want to communicate at all from my phone because you can become a target—or face repercussions,” he added.

During cross-examination by crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, Lamarre-Condon acknowledged using the new sim card to contact former and current officers.

When asked why his phone records indicated contact with only a single police officer on this device, Lamarre-Condon claimed the records reflected only his standard call history, explaining that “You can’t see what I did on Signal.”

The prosecutor suggested that Lamarre-Condon could have utilized the Signal encrypted messaging app on his standard phone; however, he asserted that law enforcement authorities are capable of requiring unlock of his device to access Signal logs should he cooperate with an investigation into media contact.

Prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC also inquired why Davies’s contact information appeared on Lamarre-Condon’s mobile phone.

Lamarre-Condon maintained that the contact details were stored on his Instagram account.

“I went and blocked numerous Instagram accounts from my own profile because of this incident,” he stated, referring to the shootings.

“I even blocked Jesse’s family members from my account. I didn’t want any of that” he added.

He subsequently deactivated his social media accounts following this revelation.

Justice Natalie Adams continues the trial.

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