The great-grandson of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the world-wide Scout Movement, was charged with his wife's murder in Australia today.
The charge came after numerous reports that 40-year-old Mr Gerard Baden-Clay had been having an affair in the months before the death of his wife, Allison, 43.
The murder charge was brought at a Brisbane police station last night shortly after Mr Baden-Clay's lawyer, Mr Darren Mahoney, announced that that was the intention of murder squad detectives.
the great grandson of Scout movement founder Lord Robert
Baden-Powell. He has now been charged with her murder.
'He's devastated,' said Mr Mahoney.
Mr Gerard Baden-Clay, 40, was taken by homicide squad detectives to a Brisbane police station and told his lawyer that he was being charged with the murder of his former beauty queen wife Allison, 43.
Detectives had earlier called at Mr Baden-Clay's house and placed him under arrest before driving him to a police station where preparations were made to charge him with murder.
The mother of three's disappearance from her home after she set out for a late night walk on April 20 sparked a massive police search.
Her body was found on the banks of a creek a half hour's drive from her home 10 days later.
Mr Baden-Clay has made much of his relationship to Lord Baden-Powell, making reference to it on his real estate agent's website.
belonging to the parents of Gerard Baden-Clay in Kenmore,
north-west Brisbane.
which evidence was removed today. Police insist Mr
Baden-Clay is 'not considered a person of interest in his
wife's disappearance'.
Following the discovery of Mrs Baden-Clay's body a Brisbane newspaper claimed that her husband had been having an affair in the months leading up to her murder.
A Brisbane newspaper claimed that it was in Mr Baden-Clay's real estate office that an affair had started with a saleswoman - and that relationship had been the focus of police investigations.
According to the newspaper, staff at the real estate office reported seeing Mr Baden-Clay leaving the woman's home after hours. There was also disquiet over perceptions that the woman was receiving preferential treatment with new property listings.
his wife when they went to sleep together. When he woke up
in the morning she was gone.
is the great grandfather of Gerard Baden-Clay.
The paper said tensions in the office came to a head around the middle of last year when Mr Baden-Clay told employees that Allison had discovered the affair.
Mrs Baden-Clay, a former Queensland beauty queen, is said to have denied to friends that her husband had been having an affair and that she wanted her marriage to work.
'She did everything she could to make a happy home,' a source told the Sunday Mail in Brisbane.
The investigation into the murder of Mrs Baden-Clay captured the attention of Australia.
'This is a case of an innocent whose tragic story has captured hearts,' said Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson as detectives continued inquiries into the woman's murder.
There were some crimes that grip the public's imagination, he said, adding: 'This is clearly a case with significant public interest.'
Mr Baden-Clay's lawyer said after his revelation that his client was being charged with murder that he would 'defend the charge vigorously.'
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