A jury has been told that a grandmother, who is one of the four charged over the death of Shulai Wang, had told police in an interview she didn't know the woman, and that other "homeless ladies" lived in their house.
By Lucy Xia of RNZ
The bruised body of the 70-year-old from Hainan China was found in the water at Gulf Harbour two years ago.
The body was wrapped in plastic bags and bound to two SunRice bags that together contained over 15 kilograms of stones.
Xiuyun Li, 63, who's facing trial for kidnapping and manslaughter, alongside co-defendants - her son Kaixiao Liu, her daughter in law and her husband - told a detective she had not heard of the name Shulai Wang.
The court earlier heard that immigration records showed Li practised as a doctor in China for 37 years.
The Crown said Wang, and five other women from China, sought religious instructions from Kaixiao Liu and lived "in servitude" to his family in their home in Orewa.
The Crown's case is that Wang was starved for breaking the rules of the house, and later bound in tape after a failed attempt to escape the house.
All the defendants are self-represented in the trial.
The police interview
On Monday, Li's standby lawyer Philip Hamlin told the jury that Li spent her time looking after her four grandchildren and barely had any contact with Wang.
On Friday, the jury heard details of Li's first interview with police following a search of the family's home on Harvest Avenue, after Kaxiao Liu and his wife were arrested at the Auckland Airport.
Li was not facing any charges at the time and Detective constable Junfan Luo said Li was interviewed as a witness.
The jury was told in a statement read out by Crown Prosecutor Henry Steele and confirmed by Luo, that she was aware that a female body was found on March 12, 2024, and that her son had been spoken to by police.
The statement said Li had nothing to tell police on that matter.
Luo confirmed that when he showed an image of Wang to Li, Li said she didn't know her and had never heard of this name.
Luo also confirmed that when he showed Li photos of clothes worn by Wang when her body was found - a singlet and blue pyjama pants - Li said she had no idea of these clothes.
Li told police there were five "homeless ladies" in the house and that they did their own laundry, which Luo confirmed after being questioned by Steele.
Li's statement to police said that the homeless women were brought home at different times by her son and her daughter in law.
When shown images of stones found on Wang, Li said she recognised similar kinds of stones at their house, possibly in the front yard.
Li also told police that her family purchased 10 kilograms of SunRice, as the 25 kilogram packs were too heavy to carry.
Her statement said because there were lots of people living in the house, 10 kilograms of rice lasted them three days.
Li's standby lawyer Philip Hamlin asked Luo if he'd been taken to Li's bedroom in the Orewa house during the search of the house in July 2024.
Luo said he didn't remember.
On Monday, the court heard from Crown Prosecutor Emma Kerr that Li had written in a diary entry about five days before Wang's body was found in the harbour "there was no more sound coming from her".
Hamlin told the jury on Monday that Li had no intent to kidnap Wang against her will.
"She had no intent to not look after Ms Wang, or to deprive Ms Wang of the important things in life".
Hamlin said Li did not hurt Wang.
Police told person in house fell and died
A woman who lived with the defendants told police a person in the house fell and died.
On Friday, the jury heard more evidence about one of the women who lived with the defendants, whose revelation of a person "who is no longer here" had led police to identify Wang.
The woman was among the five women in the house who detectives earlier described as "very thin", tired and smiling with their hands clasped in prayer, refusing to engage with police.
The identities of the women have been suppressed by Justice Mathew Downs.
The court earlier heard that the woman described other people in the house as her friends.
During Kaixiao Liu's cross-examination of detective constable He Gong, who'd helped take notes of another detective's interview with the woman, Liu asked what the woman's exact words to police were.
Gong said the woman said: "I didn't look after he or she well, he or she fell over and passed away… it's nothing to do with my friends".
Gong said the gender of the person referred to was not specified.
Liu asked if Gong had told the woman that she'd be deported.
"No I didn't," Gong said.
On Wednesday, the court heard from an immigration officer that the five women had all overstayed their visas by more than 42 days and had no right to appeal deportation.
They were all deported in August 2024.
The trial continues.
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