Yanfei Bao murder trial: Accused waives right to appear in courtroom

The man accused of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao has indicated that he does not want to be present at his High Court trial.

Tingjun Cao, 53, a Chinese national, is charged with the murder of Bao on 19 July 2023, the day she went missing.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Bao, 44, was last seen heading for the suburb of Hornby to show a house to a prospective client.

Her body was found in farmland near Christchurch just over a year later.

The third day of Cao's trial failed to get underway Wednesday morning and Justice Lisa Preston released the jury for the rest of the day.

Justice Preston told the jury she was satisfied that Cao did not wish to be present at his trial at this time.

"Mr Cao has the right to be present at his trial, however he may waive that right and you'll notice this morning that he is not in the courtroom," she said.

Justice Preston told the jury the law permitted the trial to proceed in Cao's absence, but if that was to occur there were some logistical arrangements that needed to be put in place to continue a fair trial.

"It's important you understand that no adverse inference is to be drawn by his absence from the courtroom. His absence is certainly not an admission of guilt and does not advance the prosecution case in any sense," she said.

Cao's trial is set down for six weeks.

The Crown case is that Cao stabbed Bao multiple times at the house in Hornby, and dragged her body through the house and put it in the boot of his car.

Crown Prosecutor Cameron Stuart said a photo retrieved from Cao's phone had an image which the Crown said was Bao's dead body, which showed her naked from the waist down and blood on her body.

Stuart said the Crown did not need to prove motive, but that this photo might suggest a sexual element to the offending.

Cao's defence lawyer, Joshua MacLeod, said the Crown's evidence was not enough to prove the murder charge.

The Crown's evidence was much muddier than they wanted it to appear, he said.

"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?"

Yesterday, the trial heard from Bao's partner Paul Gooch.

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