Coroner hears Rahma's father sought witnesses - Sydney Morning Herald

Sought witnesses ... Hosayn El-Dannaoui, right, asked his cousin to track down two men involved in a conversation allegedly discussing his role in Rahma's death. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

THE father of missing toddler Rahma El-Dennaoui asked his cousin to speak to two men involved in a conversation allegedly discussing his role in the child's death and burial before police interviewed them, an inquest has heard.

In Glebe Coroner's Court on Tuesday, counsel assisting the coroner, Robert Bromwich, SC, said Hosayn El-Dennaoui described as ''catastrophic'' the evidence given during the April hearing about a group of men overhead discussing Rahma's case in a cafe.

Mr Bromwich said phone intercepts showed Mr El-Dennaoui rang his cousin Abdul Rahman Elmir and asked him to track down two of the men who took part in the conversation.

According to a witness in the cafe, the men allegedly discussed how Mr El-Dennaoui killed the then 20-month-old and buried her on a family farm near Canberra.

Mr Bromwich said the recordings suggested Mr Elmir then rang Mr El-Dennaoui to inform him that he had been successful in tracking down the two men and ''instructed these men what to say to police''.

Mr El-Dennaoui agreed - however, he denied deliberately witholding from police the surname of another potential witness involved in the conversation until he spoke to the man in question first.

Rahma was last seen by her parents about 2am on November 10, 2005, in their home in the south-western Sydney suburb Lurnea.

The inquest continues.