A former police officer who was convicted of assisting in his wife’s death as part of a suicide pact has failed in his appeal against the sentence he received. Phillip Baldwin, 73, had sought to overturn the 18-month intensive correction order handed down in November 2024 by Judge Jennifer English at Queanbeyan District Court. He argued that the sentence was “manifestly excessive.”

The charge stemmed from events on July 4, 2023, at a property in Bomaderry, New South Wales. Baldwin, then 71, and his wife, Joanne Maree Baldwin, 68, agreed to end their lives after experiencing prolonged family difficulties. The couple had planned the joint suicide extensively following significant personal turmoil, including estrangement from their children.

During the proceedings, it was noted that Baldwin had contacted emergency services after the pact was carried out, stating that he also attempted to take his own life. Emergency responders found Joanne Baldwin deceased in the backyard, seated in a lawn chair.

The appeal was heard before Justices Natalie Adams, Peter Hamill, and Edward Muston of the New South Wales Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday. Baldwin contended that Judge English placed undue weight on victim impact statements when determining the sentence and failed to adequately recognize the punishment he had already endured outside of the courtroom.

Despite these arguments, the court upheld the original sentence. The justices maintained that the penalty was proportionate, taking into account the nature of the offense and the circumstances surrounding the couple’s decision.

The case underscored the complex issues involved in suicide pact cases, particularly where one party survives and faces legal consequences for assisting another in ending their life.