P cases news to me, says surgeon

The Auckland heart surgeon accused of selling Telfast for the manufacture of methamphetamine says he has never heard about high-profile P-related crimes such as the RSA killings and the samurai sword attack.

Xiao-Zhong Chen, under cross-examination in the Auckland District Court yesterday, was asked by Crown prosecutor David McNaughton what he knew about methamphetamine.

Chen had told the court on Wednesday that the first he knew about the drug was from a news item in January 2004.

Mr McNaughton challenged Chen, suggesting he made the news item up.

Chen replied: "Wrong. Until recently I didn't know what P means. Before 2003 I only know cocaine and heroin."

Mr McNaughton asked Chen if he was aware of several high-profile P-related crimes that happened before he started selling Telfast.

The first was the 2001 killing of three people at the Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA.

"No, I never heard about that ... I never know what RSA is."

Other crimes included the execution-style killings of pizza worker Marcus Doig and bank teller John Vaughan, a samurai sword attack that left a woman without her hand and a man dead, and the killing of 6-year-old Coral Burrows by her stepfather in September 2003.

Chen said he had not heard of any of them.

Mr McNaughton again challenged Chen as to whether he was telling the truth. "These are very high-profile cases and I suggest you must've heard of them."

Chen replied: "I tell you the truth. I did not hear of these cases. I just working every day at the hospital then coming home and study or relax."

Throughout the rest of the cross-examination Mr McNaughton put it to Chen that he was lying to cover the fact he was selling Telfast knowing it was to be sold on the black market.

He also suggested Chen - who made $250,000 collecting and delivering the tablets on eight occasions - became involved in the deal because he was promised "a lot of money".

But Chen said he wanted to help get a medicine to the people of China.

"It's not my intention to earn the money. I have enough money for my living."

Later in the day, the defence called a number of Chen's professional colleagues who described him as honest but unworldly and naive due to the amount of time he spent working.

Chen's wife, Wendy Tang, told the court her husband was so dedicated to his work and studying medicine that he took textbooks on their honeymoon. Work, not money, made him happy.

"My husband, his life is saving people. When saving people he is happy. He happy more than everything else. It's not money."

A key prosecution witness, Anspec business manager Stephen Tree, was recalled for further questioning about money Chen paid him for Telfast supplies.

Mr Tree said the cost of the Telfast was banked in the firm's account but the GST, which was never recorded on any invoices, went into his personal account.

Mr Tree said he didn't know if GST had to be paid and was awaiting the outcome of the trial before deciding what to do with it.

Despite having left Anspec in 2003, Mr Tree said no one knew he still had the money in his account.

The trial is expected to finish today.