Former Gold Coast Councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden Faces Trial for Stepfather's Murder

A former Gold Coast City councillor is to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court over the alleged murder of his stepfather in 2023. Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden was charged with the murder of Robert Lumsden in the family's suburban home on August 23, 2023. At the time of his arrest, Mr Bayldon-Lumsden was serving as the division 7 councillor on the Gold Coast City Council.

Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden was released on bail under strict conditions about a week after his arrest and soon after voluntarily stepped down as a councillor. At a committal hearing at Southport Magistrates Court today, Prosecutor Nicole Jackson said police would allege Mr Bayldon-Lumsden applied a \"chokehold\" to his stepfather after a verbal and physical argument between the two.

Defence barrister Craig Eberhardt told the court that, sometime after 3pm, Mr Lumsden pushed his stepson, who pushed him back, causing the older man to trip backwards. Mr Eberhardt said, in a struggle on the tiled kitchen floor, Mr Bayldon-Lumsden put his 115 kilogram stepfather in a chokehold.

Under cross-examination, Gold Coast University Hospital senior forensic pathologist Dr Rexson Tse detailed his post-mortem examination of Mr Lumsden. Dr Tse said Mr Lumsden was \"morbidly obese\" and had heart issues. He told the court Mr Lumsden had no fractures to his scalp, face or teeth and no trauma or bleeding to the brain.

During a hearing in the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Nicole Jackson said police would allege Mr Bayldon-Lumsden choked his stepfather after a verbal and physical argument between them. The court heard evidence from digital forensic analyst Senior Constable Alastair Smith that police had accessed the internet browsing history on Mr Bayldon-Lumsden's mobile phone.

Magistrate Lisa O'Neill committed Mr Bayldon-Lumsden to a trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court at a date to be set. Ms O'Neill asked Mr Bayldon-Lumsden if he had anything to say to the charge, to which he responded: \"Not guilty.\"