PHOTO: Photo: Supplied / RNZ
On the second day of the High Court trial for the man accused of murdering Yanfei Bao, her partner Paul Gooch took the stand to provide emotional testimony.
Recalling the morning of July 19, 2023, Gooch told the court that his partner of five years, Yanfei Bao, was still asleep when he left for work. “I kissed her on the forehead before I left,” he said, unaware that this would be the last time he would see her alive. Gooch mentioned that although he wasn’t fully aware of her plans for the day, Bao, who was a real estate agent with Harcourts Grenadier, had been in high spirits. “She was hopeful that she was meeting a client … in relation to a sale,” he explained.
House associated with the alleged murder of Yanfei Bao has been sold
The Crown has identified this client as Chinese national Tingjun Cao, who is now on trial for her murder. Cao, 53, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
As the day unfolded, Gooch and Bao did not communicate. However, in the evening, he sent her a message before heading to the gym, saying, “Hi honey, I’m just heading to Les Mills now, I’ll catch up with you when I get home later.” When he finished his workout, Gooch noticed missed calls, alerting him that something was wrong. He learned that Bao had not picked up her 9-year-old daughter from after-school care, prompting him to rush home.
Upon his arrival, Gooch was met by his neighbor, who informed him that Yanfei’s daughter had been taken to the police station. Gooch then checked the dishwasher, a small but telling detail that further deepened his concern. “She’d always chuck her dirty dishes in the dishwasher,” he told the court. “I looked in there, and they weren’t there. I knew she hadn’t come home for lunch, which was unusual.”
His anxiety escalated, and his focus shifted to ensuring that Yanfei’s daughter was safe. “I obviously made sure she was okay and then spoke to the police officer on duty that night,” Gooch said. Despite the officer suggesting that reporting Yanfei’s disappearance could wait until morning, Gooch’s intuition told him something was seriously wrong.
“I was getting continually more and more concerned,” he said. With friends gathered at their home, all trying to contact Bao, Gooch reached a breaking point around 10:30 p.m. “I just said, no, I’m not going to wait until the morning. There’s something seriously wrong here.” He then made the decision to formally report her missing to the police.
During cross-examination, there was a tense moment between Gooch and defense lawyer Colin Eason, who mistakenly referred to Yanfei as “missing.” Gooch firmly corrected him, saying, “Her mother’s not missing, her mother is dead.”
Bao’s body was eventually discovered on rural farmland outside of Christchurch more than a year after her disappearance. The Crown alleges that Cao buried her there and took steps to cover his tracks.
Real estate agent Steven Golding appears as a witness at the High Court in Christchurch during day four of the trial for the murder of Yanfei Bao. Photo: KAI SCHWOERER / The Press
The trial, which continues tomorrow, is expected to uncover more details as the prosecution presents its case.
SOURCE: RNZ