Xue left in hurry, says tenant

Not long after he saw An An Liu for the last time, a tenant of Nai Yin Xue found a note from the accused asking him to look after his house because he was going to Wellington to pick up his wife.

Zheng Zhang discovered the note in the kitchen of their shared Keystone Ave, Mt Roskill, home on September 13, 2007 - two days after the Crown says Xue strangled Ms Liu to death.

Her body was later found by police in the boot of Xue's silver car which was parked outside. She had been strangled with a man's necktie and was naked apart from a pair of white gloves.

Speaking by video link from China yesterday during Xue's murder trial in the High Court at Auckland, Mr Zhang said the last time he saw Ms Liu was when she was in the kitchen cooking between 4pm and 5pm on September 11.

He and his wife, Ling Liu, left the house for a walk about 8pm and came back about 10pm. The next morning he heard a car leave but did not see Xue or his 3-year-old daughter Qian until 8.50am the following day.

Mr Zhang told the court Xue seemed "in a bit of a rush" and told him it was because he needed to take Qian to kindergarten. He left in a white car he did not normally drive and Mr Zhang never saw them again.

Mr Zhang said he found the note that night, written in Chinese. He recognised Xue's handwriting because it was similar to writing on a receipt he had once given him and because it was signed "Pangu", Xue's nickname.

The note said: "We have gone to pick up my wife from Wellington. Can you please look after the house."

Defence lawyer Chris Comeskey asked Mr Zhang about the movements of Xue and his family, particularly their routine in the morning.

He asked him if he accepted he had only observed them over a short time since he moved in, and Mr Zhang said that was correct.

The trial continues.