Daughter of woman found stuffed in suitcase in Perth's Swan River says her dad confessed to the killing

August 28, 2018
Skyline in Perth, Western Australia, in 2013. In front Swan River, seen from Sir James Mitchell Park. XXL size image.

The daughter of a woman whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Perth's Swan River has cried while testifying that her father confessed to killing his former wife with a paperweight.

Tiffany Yiting Wan, 25, and her father Ah Ping Ban, 65, are on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court accused of murdering 58-year-old Annabelle Chen in 2016.

Ms Chen was allegedly bashed to death at her Mosman Park home, in Perth's affluent western suburbs, then her body was stuffed into a suitcase and dumped in the river in East Fremantle.

Ban and Wan both blame each other for the murder and claim they were the accessory.

Under questioning by her defence counsel Simon Freitag, Wan testified on Monday that the day after her mother's death, her father told her he did not mean to kill his former partner.

"He said that it was an accident," Wan said.

"I didn't like that word. I didn't believe it was an accident.

"I believed it was unintentional but not an accident."

She said her father had talked about confessing to police but it never happened.

Wan also told the court her father had some business associates who were chasing him for $70,000.

She said Ban admitted he had asked Ms Chen for money but her mother had "refused to help" him.

"He felt that they came from the money that my parents had made together when they were together."

At one point, Ban allegedly said to Ms Chen: "Do you actually want me to die?"

Wan said she was angry that her father was "so obsessed with money" but she later gave him a total of $138,000.

Wan, who was emotional and held back tears during her testimony, cried when she admitted sending her mother messages after she knew her mother was dead.

"I didn't get to talk to her before she passed away and I guess I had trouble accepting the whole thing."

Wan also admitted lying in her police statement, but claimed it was under the instruction of her father, who said they had to keep their stories straight.

Asked directly by Mr Freitag if she killed her mother, Wan replied: "No, I loved my mother."

Ban previously testified that Ms Chen was already dead when he arrived in Perth from Singapore and he only helped his daughter dispose of the body.

The trial continues.

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