Mother's fears grew after regular internet messages stopped

The mother of slain Auckland woman An An Liu has told a court how she began to fear for her daughter's safety after internet messages from her stopped.

Xiaoping Liu - giving video evidence from China in the murder trial of An An's husband Nai Yin Xue - yesterday told the High Court at Auckland she didn't receive any messages from An An for two days. She eventually tried An An's cellphone, only to have Xue answer.

She had spoken to him only twice before, and he told her he and An An were back together and "getting along very well".

"He told me after An An came back from Wellington they are living together and make peace with each other," she said.

Xue is accused of murdering An An Liu after she was found strangled to death in the boot of his car in September 2007. Xue abandoned the couple's 3-year-old daughter Qian at a Melbourne railway station before he flew to the United States, where he was arrested months later.

Madame Liu said Xue had said "everything is fine", when she asked him what was going on. When she said she wanted to speak to her daughter Xue said An An was at a birthday party in Wellington - and that she left her cellphone in the car.

Madame Liu said Xue's answers were 'hurried" and she found his explanation odd.

"I didn't think of the worst scenario and asked him to contact An An Liu to get hold of me."

She said Xue's answers made her feel a little at ease but she would have immediately called police if he told her Qian was with him.

"He cheated and said she took Qian with her."

She asked for a number to call An An Liu in Wellington, but the number he gave her was incorrect, she said.

Madame Liu cried when asked by trial Judge Hugh Williams how young Qian was coping after being sent to live with her in China. The judge asked that her answer not be translated from Mandarin because it could be controversial.

In cross examination by Xue's lawyer, Chris Comeskey, Madame Liu said the first conversation she had with Xue was when he called her after Qian was born, to tell her that both mother and child were safe.

She told Mr Comeskey that she did not know that Xue and An An had married.

"She went overseas [to New Zealand] to study in 2002 ... She had a child. I didn't know. I totally didn't know."

Mr Comeskey asked her if it was possible Qian wasn't mentioned at all during the conversation with Xue, but she said it was mentioned because she asked him if An An took her to Wellington.