On the 35th day of the trial, a defendant testifying in his own defence told the High Court he saw a pot and a silver machine being moved towards his father’s vehicle at a kitchenware shop. His father is also a defendant in the case. The witness said his father told him some goods were for home use and others for a friend’s shop. They left after learning a catalogue item cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The witness said he had never seen the silver machine in the rented village unit before or after the incident. Defence counsel suggested it was a meat grinder; a bone-crushing machine also came up in discussion of the catalogue. The witness said he had not asked his father what the machine was for.
The witness said his father wanted to make a fence and asked him to buy materials to tie or secure it. On February 8, he said, he bought cable ties, nylon and hemp rope, and five pairs of anti-slip gloves. He told the court he knew little about rope and asked a shop assistant which kind was used by Scouts. He also bent a cable tie into a loop to judge how large it would be when fastened.
He also described buying storage boxes and resealable bags, followed by cleaning and air-freshening products, for his father’s home. Court-reported agreed facts record that he bought a one-pound hammer and rolls of tape on February 15; he testified that his father wanted them for the fence.
The three defendants deny murdering Abby Choi and have admitted preventing the lawful burial of her body.