What Melissa Caddick’s husband told cops revealed in police footage

A video revealing what missing fraudster Melissa Caddick’s husband told police after she disappeared have been released in an inquest into her death.

When police arrived at Melissa Caddick’s home more than 24 hours after she disappeared, the missing fraudster’s husband Anthony Koletti described her as someone who had “worked very hard” and innocent of allegations levelled against her.

Ms Caddick’s disappearance is the subject of an inquest at the NSW Coroner’s Court in Sydney.

The court was told on Monday that she was last seen by her son – who can only be identified as Witness B – early on the morning of November 12, 2020, a day after her Dover Heights home was raided by the corporate regulator.

The court was told that Mr Koletti heard the door slam shut around 5.30am or 6am; however, Ms Caddick left all of her belongings at home, including her mobile phone, and failed to turn up to appointments, including one with her solicitor.

Footage from a body-worn camera shows Anthony Koletti welcoming police into his Dover Heights home. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Supplied

Mr Koletti speaks to police inside his Dover Heights home more than 24 hours after his wife Melissa Caddick went missing. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Supplied

However, Mr Koletti did not report her missing for more than 24 hours, finally contacting Rose Bay Police Station at 11.45am on November 13.

Two officers went to his home 45 minutes later, which was captured on a police body-worn camera and released during the inquest.

As the officers pull up to the Dover Heights mansion, Mr Koletti welcomes them inside and has laid out several folders and documents on the kitchen benchtop.

“She’s gone out with nothing,” Mr Koletti said.

“No money, no nothing because all of our assets are frozen.”

He said when he woke up, he believed she had gone for a morning walk; however, his suspicions were raised when he noticed her phone was still at home.

“That was the first indication, she does not go anywhere without her phone,” Mr Koletti said.

He described her as wearing black gym clothes and grey sneakers.

When asked about her state of mind the night before, Mr Koletti said nothing seemed amiss despite the corporate regulator and AFP having just raided her house, which also doubled as her business premises.

Mr Koletti and Ms Caddick before her disappearance.

Ms Caddick has been accused of ripping off investors through a Ponzi scheme.

The court was told on Monday that she had been accused of operating a Ponzi scheme and stealing $20m to $30m from investors, many of whom were friends and family.

“Obviously, she was shaken because we’ve been through a massive ordeal and she’s not guilty and the AFP know that,” Mr Koletti said.

“Because she’s done everything so straight and narrow the whole way, she’s under the belief she’s done something wrong, so I’m worried about her.”

On November 12, Ms Caddick missed a meeting with her lawyers before failing to appear in court.

Mr Koletti said it was “out of character for her” to miss any appointment.

“But you could imagine we’ve worked very hard for what we have and we’re both very honest and it’s completely out of character for her,” Mr Koletti said.

“But she’s clearly taken it bad, I didn’t see it the night before. She was very loving and very normal.”

Asked what he thought when she didn’t come home on the evening of November 12, Mr Koletti explained that he had initially thought she had stayed in a hotel overnight.

“My thoughts were hopefully she’s staying in a hotel somewhere,” Mr Koletti said.

“Then I realised all of our accounts are frozen.”

He said he contacted some of her friends, pretending nothing was amiss, in the hope that they would say that Ms Caddick was with them.

She has been accused of ripping off investors to fund her lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes, luxury jewellery and overseas holidays.

The court was told that between December 2017 and August 2020, Ms Caddick had spent $236,000 at Canturi jewellers in the Sydney CBD.

Mr Koletti told officers that “Stefano Canturi had made her a one-off piece” and was due to come around later that afternoon to present it to her.

The inquest continues.