Murder accused Tingjun Cao in the High Court in Christchurch. Photo: Iain McGregor
Warning: This story discusses details of sexual violence.
The High Court has been told that there may have been a sexual element to the attack on a Christchurch real estate agent, whose body was found just over a year after she went missing.
Tingjun Cao, 53, a Chinese national, is charged with the murder of Yanfei Bao on 19 July 2023, the day she went missing.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Bao went missing in July last year and her body was found in farmland near Christchurch just over a year later.
The Crown opened its case this afternoon.
Crown Prosecutor Cameron Stuart told the court that Tingjun Cao met Bao when his relative bought a house off Yanfei Bao several months before her disappearance.
Cao paid part of the money towards the property and had dealings with Bao.
After that the two stayed in contact, and Bao tried to assist him to find work.
On the day Bao went missing the Crown said Tingjun Cao contacted Bao saying he had a friend interested in buying a house.
She said she had properties which could be of interest and she arranged to met Cao, and his friend, later that day at a Hornby property.
Stuart said that the Crown case is that Cao stabbed Bao multiple times at that house, and dragged her body through the house and put it in the boot of his car.
He said a photo retrieved from Cao's phone had an image which the Crown said is Bao's dead body, which shows her naked from the waist down and blood on her body.
Stuart said the Crown does not need to prove motive, but that this photo may suggest a sexual element to the offending.
Defence opening statements
In his opening address, Cao's defence lawyer, Joshua McLeod, said the Crown's evidence is not enough to prove the murder charge.
"This case is not simple, the evidence is not simple, and more importantly what you make of the evidence is not simple, and what the evidence tells you is not simple."
McLeod said the only thing that is simple is Cao's position, which is that he is not guilty.
He said Cao does not speak English, so will need the evidence translated for him, and he asked for the jury's patience.
McLeod said that the Crown's evidence is much muddier than they want it to appear.
"That lack of clarity will can only result in the erosion of their case. You will need to look at the police investigation as a whole.
"How did they approach this case, how did it develop, and when. Who were they looking at and why, and how wide a net did they cast? What evidence can you actually rely on?"
The trial is expected to hear from over 70 witnesses over the next five to six weeks, including from Yanfei Bao's partner Paul Gooch who is expected to speak tomorrow.
Where to get help:
Sexual Violence
Victim Support 0800 842 846
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00
HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655 - push 0 at the menu
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496
