Melissa Caddick inquest: Husband Anthony Koletti bought her a paper shredder in months before disappearance

Melissa Caddick’s husband brought her the device a few months before her disappearance, an inquest has heard.

Anthony Koletti, with his lawyers, on Thursday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Melissa Caddick’s husband smoked a joint the night before he reported her missing and deleted text messages before handing his phone over to police, an inquest has heard.

Anthony Koletti, a hairdresser and DJ, went to the house of a friend to get an e-cigarette on the evening of Nov­ember 12, 2020, when he had said he was out looking for Caddick.

When counsel assisting, Jason Downing SC, asked him if he had instead gone to smoke a joint, he said “Sure, I don’t remember but I can accept it”.

After Mr Downing pressed whether he had smoked a joint, Mr Koletti said “What’s your point?” and “Let’s just say I did”.

Judy Swan, who is representing Mr Koletti, said people smoked joints to relax. “I do object that someone’s gone to smoke a joint for sinister reasons,” she said.

The inquest is examining the disappearance and suspected death of Caddick, who vanished the day after her $15m eastern suburbs mansion was raided by fraud investigators on November 11, 2020.

Mr Koletti reported Caddick missing on November 13, about 30 hours after she disappeared, and has told the inquest he believed he had to wait at least 24 hours before reporting someone missing.

He said he was “not sure” whether he deleted text mess­ages before handing his phone over to police but told the inquest it had nothing to do with Caddick’s disappearance.

The inquest was shown a CCTV photo of Rodney Reserve just before 7am on November 12 that was included in Mr Koletti’s affidavit. He had written next to the photo: “This is me looking for Melissa its me but it doesn’t look like me.”

He told the inquest he didn’t remember specifically when he left the house to look for Caddick or when he conducted other activities. “I was trying everything possible to locate her,” he said.

Mr Koletti struggled to recall details of his actions after the raid and the days after Caddick disappeared, and at one point criticised the line of questioning as being “too circular” and “not serving any purpose”.

“I’m exhausted, mate, I cannot focus again, it’s just so crazy,” he said.

Mr Koletti said he bought a paper shredder for Caddick in July 2020 but didn’t think about why she needed it.

Caddick is alleged to have swindled more than $20m from investors, including family and friends, in a Ponzi scheme.

The inquest heard Caddick told people she owned a ski lodge in Aspen.

Forensic psychiatrist Kerri Eagle said grief, stress and high levels of agitation could impact on a person’s ability to recall or order events.

Dr Eagle said Caddick likely had narcissistic personality disorder and built her self-esteem on the admiration from others; the shame of possibly losing it all could cause a severe narcissistic injury, prompting her to take her life.

Caddick’s foot was found inside a designer sneaker on Bournda Beach, near Tathra, on the NSW south coast in February 2021.