Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #6

[car54]

Regarding the laneway at Marion's house... Sally said there is a path that leads from the street to the side of the house where the front door is located. You enter at the middle. RB called it a laneway. You could also call it a lane, path, sidewalk, footpath, driveway or any other name.

Just to verify where the front door is located. It's in the middle of the front of the house, but the door faces to the left side of the property. You can see it's location on Google Maps. I've attached an enlarged copy. The ungated passage to the rear of the property runs along side of the garage.

 

[Belleandsebastian]

Good point DW doesn't seem to mind he is gone for long periods of times or away for a few nights so it seems.

he could be juggling many wives, I doubt it, but it is possible.

I assume police will be able to track his movements over the last few years and see if there’s somewhere he stays very often, etc, whether he’s travelled recently (although Covid would have put a spanner in the works for him)

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Good, this is proof he must've know her house layout! Despite it looking like this now, it has changed since the 1990s, as per Sally's evidence. Make sense the new owners have made the entry more accessible.

 

[Estelle]

so strange that they advertise lol

do you think that's how he got the W/Bury and RR passport

I kind of felt like they didn't know about the RR name that JO mentioned, you would have thought it would have come up in her interview but I felt like the lawyer was a little taken back

He was Ric West then changed to Rich Richard to match his claim of being worth $12m! I would have been suspicious if a man I was involved with changed his name. But JO seemed hypnotised by him.

IMO he either used such a company or he could do it himself.

 

[mishy66]

according to his medical check in his permanent residency application he is 6 feet tall (found in national archives)

are you able to post a link to the NA please. I cant find the info

 

[mishy66]

According to the NAA documents, it’s Willy Wouter. He may have also used his mothers maiden name which starts with C and is in that document. There’s quite a list of aliases in the NAA document.

Cant you please share the link to this info on NAA, I cant find it!

 

[centred]

He was Ric West then changed to Rich Richard to match his claim of being worth $12m! I would have been suspicious if a man I was involved with changed his name. But JO seemed hypnotised by him.

IMO he either used such a company or he could do it himself.

should we assume the alias Rick Blum as he is known now and his details are tracked by LE and they know some recent history and what he has been up besides putting things into safe deposit boxes under another name . I wonder or have i forgotten how and when he became Mr Blum and was that the tip off information they speak of ?

 

[Deleted member 249471]

During some of my searches, I found mention of convicts sent to Australia. Their crime was being found with a forged die.

LOL, in those days, a regular (or poor) person had no need for such a thing. It could only mean they were up to no good!

It never ceases to amaze me what 'crimes' people used to commit and get transported for. Like stealing bread (heartbreaking) and a piece of lace (!). Meanwhile, this guy has a record spanning 60 years and not a whole lot has been done about it.

 

[car54]

I may be going off thread but I was looking at the NAA site for the Blum surname and came across an entry fro Maria Katharina READ (nee Blum). She arrived in Australia in January 1952 relocated soon after to Mount Tamborine. Could this be a relative of our man of many names as the surnames Blum, Read or Reid and Mount Tamborine have been mentioned earlier. The place at Tamborine "Yurnga" is still there, link is at https://agreatertown.com/australia_un/4br_house_vacation_rental_in_mount_tambourine_qld_0002668082

 

[centred]

LOL, in those days, a regular (or poor) person had no need for such a thing. It could only mean they were up to no good!

It never ceases to amaze me what 'crimes' people used to commit and get transported for. Like stealing bread (heartbreaking) and a piece of lace (!). Meanwhile, this guy has a record spanning 60 years and not a whole lot has been done about it.

Yes an investigation into modern slavery highlights what modern state nations will do to allow companies all over the world to exploit workers within supply chains with no penalties for companies not disclosing to government . Australia is being pushed into addressing the exploitation now after the pandemic ( shame it takes a virus to force governments to act )
My point being i can see why they turn a blind eye to all this faking of documents etc because it is good for economies to have desperate "illegals " roaming around the country side . Its rife every where in the world . They even exploit tourists

 

[Estelle]

https://au.linkedin.com/in/ric-blum-b242a9151/en?trk=people-guest_people_search-card

 

[mishy66]

Hi

I'm new here, but have been following this case since the TLV podcast started.

Regarding Luxembourg, I think it's still possible there could be a connection to that country.
I've had a look at the National Archives file, and I think it's mentioned that RB was arrested in Luxembourg in 1976-77, and that he lived there in 1981. One of his children was also born in Luxembourg.
Perhaps he still had connections to Luxembourg in 1997 and access to a house. And maybe he chose the FR alias because he had heard of that name when he lived there.

I have to agree! There must be some connection !

 

[mishy66]

The evidence of Ginette Gaffney-Bowan is very interesting. Soon after meeting her, he had gained a free garden studio from her to stay in when in Sydney. He had gained access to her house by offering to cook her a meal.

By the third week, she had given him access by card to one of her bank accounts, he withdrew $30,000 as a startup cost for their coin business partnership and all that was accounted for was a fax machine. He then tried to manipulate him into her selling her house at Greenwich and giving him the proceeds to buy a lovely apartment in Paris from where they would operate the coin business. She is lucky she had two daughters living in Sydney otherwise she may have been vulnerable to that idea too. All this, despite his belittling her.

RB moves fast! I think Ginette is very embarrassed by her past connection with RB now and tries to make it sound like she was interested in business only. I can see that he could have behaved the same way with Marion.

Thankyou so much for condensing all the information ! I am just new to this site, not the case, and it is interesting to read all the timelines.

 

[mishy66]

I was under the impression he seemed to marry at times (maybe under other names also ) some obviously have been referenced in records already public . He traveled extensively .

I don't know why i have the impression Marion did marry the person she changed her name too perhaps the podcast and her saying she was a house wife etc on return passport . I also believe she intended to distance herself from family (at least for a time )

Was it correct she could not access the money she transferred to the bank over seas ?
so the suggestion was they returned to access her money here ?

On page 159 at NAA it states on a passenger card he is married.

I am not sure I am allowed to post the link on here though?
View digital copy

 

[mishy66]

I was under the impression he seemed to marry at times (maybe under other names also ) some obviously have been referenced in records already public . He traveled extensively .

I don't know why i have the impression Marion did marry the person she changed her name too perhaps the podcast and her saying she was a house wife etc on return passport . I also believe she intended to distance herself from family (at least for a time )

Was it correct she could not access the money she transferred to the bank over seas ?
so the suggestion was they returned to access her money here ?

On page 159 at NAA it states on a passenger card he is married.

I am not sure I am allowed to post the link on here though?

 

[Estelle]

should we assume the alias Rick Blum as he is known now and his details are tracked by LE and they know some recent history and what he has been up besides putting things into safe deposit boxes under another name . I wonder or have i forgotten how and when he became Mr Blum and was that the tip off information they speak of ?

I'd like to know when he started to call himself Ric Blum too. Does he have a passport in that name, etc. A few pages back, I made a post showing a website and the name, Ric Blum, was listed as one of the Administrators of his supposed business in 1968 - the year before he came to Australia.

A post above suggests that a woman with the surname, Blum, lived at Tamborine which was an address he once used.

If he used so many names, I think she must know or otherwise, he has been able to live many lives outside of the marriage. I wonder if Diane ever worked? Did he supply all of their income over the years? As they moved around so much, I doubt if they ever owned any real estate or perhaps it was put in her name. Perhaps he often lived in two places.

 

[mishy66]

I may be going off thread but I was looking at the NAA site for the Blum surname and came across an entry fro Maria Katharina READ (nee Blum). She arrived in Australia in January 1952 relocated soon after to Mount Tamborine. Could this be a relative of our man of many names as the surnames Blum, Read or Reid and Mount Tamborine have been mentioned earlier. The place at Tamborine "Yurnga" is still there, link is at https://agreatertown.com/australia_un/4br_house_vacation_rental_in_mount_tambourine_qld_0002668082

Yes I found another one under De Hedervary, Frederick David [also known as Willy WOUTERS and Roger LAUZONEY or LAZONEY - born 1939 - application for Australian citizenship with a woman listed as Secretary Australian Diane De Hedervary.

 

[centred]

He was Ric West then changed to Rich Richard to match his claim of being worth $12m! I would have been suspicious if a man I was involved with changed his name. But JO seemed hypnotised by him.

IMO he either used such a company or he could do it himself.

It is interesting that he told her ??

Also what is the go with looking at rentals ? He was known to misappropriate leases and use them in the past to accommodate illegally or not honoring the terms and source furniture under false pretense etc ..who was he doing this for ?

It appears there were many instances when Dianne and family when they were overseas

 

[chinguetti]

I may be going off thread but I was looking at the NAA site for the Blum surname and came across an entry fro Maria Katharina READ (nee Blum). She arrived in Australia in January 1952 relocated soon after to Mount Tamborine. Could this be a relative of our man of many names as the surnames Blum, Read or Reid and Mount Tamborine have been mentioned earlier. The place at Tamborine "Yurnga" is still there, link is at https://agreatertown.com/australia_un/4br_house_vacation_rental_in_mount_tambourine_qld_0002668082

Very likely connected. OMG this is insane...... How can he keep track of 20+ identities. I have trouble with one....

 

[Itsapuzzle]

I'm surprised RB hasn't tried to claim the $250,000 reward yet.