A woman who was in a relationship with senior Customs official Nigel Christian at the time of his killing told the court she last spoke with him at 2:43pm on July 10, 2020, shortly before he sent her a video. Hours later, she learned he had been killed.

Testifying Tuesday in the trial of three men accused of his murder, she described Christian as kind, hardworking and in constant contact with her.

Her evidence became central when she identified a black bag recovered at Perry Bay as belonging to him, citing items inside such as tea bags and hot chocolate, and noting he used it to carry his laptop. She also confirmed signing the evidence bag.

The identification is disputed.

Defence attorney Sherfield Bowen argued the case hinges on “two tea bags and Swiss chocolate,” after a crime scene officer said there was no record of those items when the bag was first recovered.

The witness is expected to return to complete her testimony.

Earlier, the court heard a 911 call made by Christian’s brother reporting his abduction. He initially described it as a false arrest and said surveillance cameras had been destroyed.

When transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department, he stated police had taken his brother.

Under cross-examination, defence attorneys questioned gaps in the call records. Wendel Alexander highlighted that the exact time of the call cannot be retrieved due to a system change and raised questions about whether a backup diary was used.

Bowen and Michael Archibald also challenged the reliability of the timestamp, with the witness unable to confirm its accuracy.

Two additional witnesses gave brief evidence. Proceedings are set to continue Wednesday.