Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #11

[centred]

Does anyone else suspect Wonka was up to something very shady in 1992?
Having just built a brand new home at Goonellabah, he decides to change his name to R L Westbury, sell the new home and move to Tasmania for 12 months. IMO it wasn't just the weather in Goonellabah that had become too hot to handle. After cooling his heels in the Tassie climate for a year, he moves back to a rental property in Ballina. That's a big move, uprooting two kids in school for a change in scenery. Anyone have any clues?

It seems like every year was something shady , I have on my list the TAS house was sold in 92 ?
Maybe a timeline re visit from Paralta might help us with that to clarify . i might be wrong

 

[centred]

And that summary is, at least for me, a perfect example of Occam's Razor. It is the simplest, most direct scenario with few to no assumptions.

True

@Sachie "IMO, if someone wanted Marion to disappear, far better to do it on their own stomping grounds, around remote Byron Bay, rather than extremely crowded England."

I am wondering if the same can apply to someone wanting to "disappear" herself . in a more familiar big country like Australia after the sting . I doubt he could have accessed the bulk amount still in a account after the cash withdrawals. IMO

 

[BonnieB]

True

@Sachie "IMO, if someone wanted Marion to disappear, far better to do it on their own stomping grounds, around remote Byron Bay, rather than extremely crowded England."

I am wondering if the same can apply to someone wanting to "disappear" herself . in a more familiar big country like Australia after the sting . I doubt he could have accessed the bulk amount still in a account after the cash withdrawals. IMO

My gut feeling is that he finally exerted enough control on MB for her to transfer the remaining money to HIS overseas bank account so they could continue their life together in Europe. Sadly, I think after that she was no longer of any use to him.

 

[Estelle]

Romance scams were less well known in those days, but are extremely common now, they always involve the victim voluntarily draining their bank account and voluntarily giving the money to the scammer.

Everything about the case says romance scam to me:
* Marion keeping her boyfriend secret from everyone
* Her secretly changing her own name and passport
* Her selling her home, which most single women wouldn't do, unless they believed they'd have somewhere else to live
* The handwriting appears to be the same, and hers, on both the outbound and the return landing card
* Her daughter describes her as somewhat naive.

Most romance scams don't end in murder, but some do.

IMO, if someone wanted Marion to disappear, far better to do it on their own stomping grounds, around remote Byron Bay, rather than extremely crowded England.

JMO

One thing is for sure is that if Marion met her demise in England, RB wasn't the murderer as he returned here two days earlier than her passport did. However, there are plenty of large parks in England where Marion's body could have been buried or perhaps even somewhere in Europe. In that case, I'm sure RB knew of an ex-crim in Europe he could have paid to do it. One suggestion is the "Dutch dentist" who Marion mentioned in a postcard and who who pretended to be charming to Marion at first. Then there's "Maz". Was she really RB's wife? She would have been an accomplice that RB could trust to impersonate Marion and return on her passport to withdraw the money and act as Marion on everything else that they wanted to do whether in person or on the phone. IMO Marion being alive in Australia until about 14th or 15th October was a risk that RB could not take unless he was with her 24 hours a day.

 

[Estelle]

Does anyone else suspect Wonka was up to something very shady in 1992?
Having just built a brand new home at Goonellabah, he decides to change his name to R L Westbury, sell the new home and move to Tasmania for 12 months. IMO it wasn't just the weather in Goonellabah that had become too hot to handle. After cooling his heels in the Tassie climate for a year, he moves back to a rental property in Ballina. That's a big move, uprooting two kids in school for a change in scenery. Anyone have any clues?

I got the impression from the Inquest that Diane had a very ill uncle down in Tasmania so they went down there to look after him until he died.

 

[car54]

Just in case Marion and RB or his many aliases visited Armidale NSW I was able to get access to Armidale Regional Council's Visitor Book from July 1996- Aug 2001. They have a wonderful daily free bus tour which visits all the tourist attractions in Armidale. Judging by the visitor comments it's a great service. I checked the whole time period. I found many Belgians, Dutch, German, even Luxembourgish, Wollongbar, Lennox Head, Ballina etc. visitors but none with any surnames of interest. If anyone wants to cross check the book (167 pages) please PM me.

 

[Estelle]

Just in case Marion and RB or his many aliases visited Armidale NSW I was able to get access to Armidale Regional Council's Visitor Book from July 1996- Aug 2001. They have a wonderful daily free bus tour which visits all the tourist attractions in Armidale. Judging by the visitor comments it's a great service. I checked the whole time period. I found many Belgians, Dutch, German, even Luxembourgish, Wollongbar, Lennox Head, Ballina etc. visitors but none with any surnames of interest. If anyone wants to cross check the book (167 pages) please PM me.

I don't think it likely that they would've signed a Visitor Book either here or in England.

 

[Estelle]

Not sure I have my dates correct but I was re-listening to part of DdH testimony & it sounded like RB & family moved from Tasmania to Ballina in 1996. Is that right? By 1996, BR was already establishing himself in the NSW area (Ballina Coins/Lennox Head Po Box in 1994--and I think, although could be wrong, that their joint commonwealth account in Ballina was established in 1992). Also, 1994/5 were the years he was traveling overseas most frequently (several times per year). How was he doing all this if family was in Tasmania?

RB placed the ad in Le Courrier Australien in 1994 so those dates don't make sense to me.

 

[car54]

I just happen to come across a TV program "Racket Squad" made from 1951-53. It's about a US police dept. investigating confidence tricks. You can watch the whole series on Youtube. I looked up "Confidence Tricks" on Wikipedia and the Romance Scam trick pretty well replicates what RB has been specialising in. Apparently it's a well known trick emanating from Europe.

 

[MrsWattle]

I got the impression from the Inquest that Diane had a very ill uncle down in Tasmania so they went down there to look after him until he died.

And his cause of death. ?
Possibly DdH and RB executors and beneficiaries?
Was he a Real "uncle"? Or another victim?

 

[MadMcGoo]

MOD NOTE:

There seem to be questions about the RULES on the last few pages of this thread. I’ve had to remove multiple posts tonight. If you can not provide a link to an approved source for the information you want to discuss, DO NOT DISCUSS IT. References to random comments and posts on social media are simply not allowed.

Thanks for helping keep Websleuths amazing!

- Mad

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

I got the impression from the Inquest that Diane had a very ill uncle down in Tasmania so they went down there to look after him until he died.

Yes that’s what she said

 

[BonnieB]

And his cause of death. ?
Possibly DdH and RB executors and beneficiaries?
Was he a Real "uncle"? Or another victim?

Yes, IMO it seems rather extreme to sell a newly built home to look after a sick 'uncle'.
Something else that causes my 'suspicious nose' to twitch is RB corresponding with MC while in living in Tassie. According to her testimony, their affair ended years before in Luxembourg when he admitted to being married.
I also noted how proudly he proclaimed MC was a publisher and wondered who is actually running Renov Pubs. I have a feeling that all is not as it seems there.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

We seem to be in two camps… Marion returned to Australia.. Marion Didn’t. We don’t have 100% answers but we have opinions..
I’m in the camp she returned…
What happened next I have no idea???

but I am curious what other sleuths think…
What camp are you in..?

 

[brjakj]

We seem to be in two camps… Marion returned to Australia.. Marion Didn’t. We don’t have 100% answers but we have opinions..
I’m in the camp she returned…
What happened next I have no idea???

but I am curious what other sleuths think…
What camp are you in..?

I believe she returned.
I don’t know what I believe in relation to the withdrawals - I sway both sides.
And the optometrist, well I’m not sure on that either. No optometrist has ever checked my ID to check that I’m the same person as the Medicare card I use.
Either way, I believe she either met foul play or took her own life here in Australia unfortunately. I don’t think she started a new life.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

I can't find when RB purchased the car, does anyone know the date off-hand .... just being lazy
Marion's RACQ was cancelled on 7 August, just wondering how it fits in with this car purchase.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

I believe she returned.
I don’t know what I believe in relation to the withdrawals - I sway both sides.
And the optometrist, well I’m not sure on that either. No optometrist has ever checked my ID to check that I’m the same person as the Medicare card I use.
Either way, I believe she either met foul play or took her own life here in Australia unfortunately. I don’t think she started a new life.

Yes I am not sure on the bank either I sway continually but I think the initial few withdrawals maybe.. but I don’t think it was all of them.

 

[KiwiNZ]

We seem to be in two camps… Marion returned to Australia.. Marion Didn’t. We don’t have 100% answers but we have opinions..
I’m in the camp she returned…
What happened next I have no idea???

but I am curious what other sleuths think…
What camp are you in..?

Camp - returned
Was the one withdrawing the money
Used her Medicare card
Met with foul play - but I hang on to hope that she started a new life

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

And his cause of death. ?
Possibly DdH and RB executors and beneficiaries?
Was he a Real "uncle"? Or another victim?

Maybe both

edit: relative and victim

 

[BonnieB]

We seem to be in two camps… Marion returned to Australia.. Marion Didn’t. We don’t have 100% answers but we have opinions..
I’m in the camp she returned…
What happened next I have no idea???

but I am curious what other sleuths think…
What camp are you in..?

Camp - returned
Cash withdrawals - Initially I thought he had an accomplice either in the bank or withdrawing the cash but have since swayed to the belief it was MB. It's hard to understand coercive control but it happens every day to otherwise sensible and logical women.
Medicare Card - I suspect this was used by Marion without RB's knowledge.
Final EFT transfer - Unsure
Final outcome - I suspect Marion died either by accident or intention between Sept 13 and Oct 15.