Melissa Caddick's husband smoked drugs hours after she vanished, court told

Koletti returned to the witness box on Thursday. Photo / NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Melissa Caddick's husband smoked a joint with a friend on the night the fraudster vanished and deleted messages to cover his tracks, a court has been told.

During an inquest into her suspected death, Anthony Koletti was grilled about his movements on the evening of November 12, 2020, when Caddick went missing from their Dover Heights mansion.

Koletti was evasive in his answers after counsel assisting Jason Downing asked him whether he met a friend, who can only be known as Witness A, to smoke marijuana.

The court has been told that Koletti took 30 hours to report his wife missing and didn't phone Rose Bay police station until 11.45am on November 13.

"I'm going to suggest you were going to smoke a joint with him that night," Downing asked.

Anthony Koletti smoked a joint with a friend on the night his wife disappeared. Photo / Facebook

"I might have, I don't remember," Koletti replied.

Koletti told police that he did not remember leaving his house that night.

On the witness stand, he initially said he went to the friend's house to get an e-cigarette.

Further pressed by Downing whether he smoked marijuana that night: "Sure, I don't remember it, but I accept it".

Melissa Caddick during the ASIC raid on her house. Photo / NSW Police

He later said "I don't recall it at all" but added he might have done it to "calm down".

The court was also told that before handing over his phone to police, Koletti deleted text messages with Witness A.

Asked why he deleted the messages, Koletti said: "Possibly because it had something to do with, as you suggested, marijuana."

Koletti resumed his evidence after a dramatic day in the witness box when he had to stand down because he was having difficulty answering questions.

Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan allowed his evidence to be halted so he could be assessed overnight.

He returned to the witness box on Thursday morning.

His solicitor Judy Swan told the court that Koletti had received abusive messages via LinkedIn that were causing him distress, including one saying "dodgy prick, I hope you're locked up".

The last text message Anthony Koletti sent to his wife Melissa Caddick on the morning she disappeared. Photo / Supplied

Koletti has denied having any knowledge of Caddick's Ponzi scheme, which she used to misappropriate $20m-$30m worth of investor funds, including from her friends and family.

Police have also told the court they did not believe Koletti was involved in her disappearance and there was no evidence at their Dover Heights home of foul play.

A shoe containing a foot, which was later matched to the 49-year-old, washed up on Bournda Beach, on the NSW south coast, three months after she was last seen.

The court has been told that Caddick was heard closing the front door of the couple's home at about 5.30am on November 12, 2020, never to be seen again.

Koletti has told the court he woke after hearing her leave and later found she had left her phone, which she never left her home without.

The court was told on Thursday that in July last year, police showed Koletti CCTV images taken from Rodney Reserve, a cliffside park about 500m from his home.

The images were from 6.55am on November 12 – the morning Caddick went missing.

Underneath the photo, Koletti wrote: "This is me looking for Melissa. I can't confirm it's me, but it looks like me."

But on Thursday he told the court of that morning: "I don't recall going anywhere".

Koletti has previously told the court that he became alarmed when he discovered Caddick had left her phone at home.

In an affidavit to the court, Koletti said he sent his wife a text message at 7.16 am saying: "U OK? Have you got your key?"

In the same affidavit, dated September 21, he said that on November 12, 2020, he searched the local area for his wife.

Caddick was last seen at her Dover Heights mansion on the morning of November 12, 2020. Photo / Supplied

"I believe I took my car most of the time as it is bright and the stereo plays loudly."

However, in court, he said he couldn't recall going looking for her on the day she vanished.

"A week ago did you have an actual recollection that's what you actually did?" Downing asked.

"I would say so," Koletti replied.

"When you swore this, you could remember, but you can't remember it today?" Downing asked.

"That's correct."

The inquest continues.