Mum breaks down in court over fake video allegedly sent to cover up daughter’s killing

The mother of a young woman allegedly murdered by her flatmate has broken down in court while describing a video prosecutors claim was sent to conceal the killing.

Yang Zhao, 30, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Qiong Yan, 29, in September 2020 at their apartment in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Hamilton.

He has instead pleaded guilty to interfering with Yan’s corpse, which was found concealed in a large toolbox on the balcony of their riverside unit almost 10 months after her alleged murder.

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Crown Prosecutor Chris Cook previously told the Supreme Court jury he would allege Zhao later sent more than 2000 text messages to Yan’s friends and mother that allowed him to steal significant amounts of her family’s money.

Qiong’s mother, Rongmei Yan, travelled from Shanghai, China, to Brisbane and took the witness stand on Tuesday.

“We had this arrangement (via the WeChat smartphone app), every day Qiong would tell me she was safe,” Yan said.

The last time Yan contacted her mother via a video call was on September 20, 2020 and after that she received only text messages, the jury heard.

“I tried to call her but she always said the signal was not good,” Yan said.

“She kept saying that and would not take my call.”

Yan was sent a brief video in April 2021 showing a female hand holding her daughter’s cat Anchun and a text message stating: “I am fine. I have Anchun taking care of me.”

Yan had been dead for seven months at that point after allegedly being murdered by Zhao hitting her on the head or strangling her, Cook previously told the jury.

Yan broke down crying and wiped her eyes with tissues after watching the cat video in court.

Yan said her daughter asked her in August 2020 for a loan of nearly $43,000 but in later months she received requests for larger amounts that totalled more than $400,000.

Yan is due to finish giving evidence on Wednesday.

Queensland Detective acting Sergeant Tammy Storey on Tuesday testified she entered Zhao’s Brisbane apartment on July 19, 2021.

“(The black toolbox) drew my attention because I thought at the time there were little incense bags on the locks … it later turned out to be prayer notes,” she said.

The detective and a crime scene officer then opened the toolbox.

“I immediately smelled the very strong smell of what I know to be a dead body,” Storey said.

“I looked in the box and saw a human foot.”

She contacted Kurt Zambesi, then a NSW Police senior constable, who was speaking to Zhao about Yan’s disappearance.

Zhao, a Chinese national on a student visa, was arrested.

Yan was also a Chinese national living on a bridging visa and working as a migration agency director.

Zhao initiated conversation with Zambesi and Detective Sergeant Michael Bugg during a 20-minute car ride to the police station, the jury was told.

Zambesi said Zhao queried detectives about his impersonation of Yan, asking: “How convincing was I? Was I good? Did you know?”

“Bugg replied ‘You were pretty good, we thought you were protecting her as she did not want to speak to police’,” he said.

Zambesi said the accused killer was told he could tell his side of the story, to which he replied: “There is no story. I don’t regret it.”

Zhao allegedly admitted he had “killed someone” by accident before asking: “Do you think I will get the death penalty?”