Australia Australia - Marion Barter - Missing After Trip to UK - June 1997 #20

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

I quite enjoyed that interview, aside from the start, between Barlett and the Lux Journo TBH

Listening to it a couple of times and knowing that AH could not have possibly been able to marry Marion in Lux or that she was even there- having found no evidence of, which is something many here have thought too, I am more convinced than ever before that something happened to Marion in the UK and while her passenger card may have arrived back into Australia, I don't think it was her that carried it in.

His admittance and that of Diane's, that he collects the passenger cards at the 'little stand' and fills out her arrival & departure cards for her - he would have no trouble what so ever getting anyone to prefill the details - especially someone smitten by the creep. Marion prefills the card but leaves the passport number blank for a custom officer to fill in??? Odd thing to do for Marion being a stickler for accuracy no doubt, having been a teacher for years. Left blank because at the time she didn't have access to it to get the number of her new passport, because he would have been holding onto it for her - just like he did for the others. He now holds that and her passport - a valuable commodity for a creep about to rob her of her life savings.

If she was in the UK in the hours before leading up to the flight home and the plane left Amsterdam not Luxembourg, no reason for her to write Luxembourg (resident) IF she had filled it out just hours prior to flying because she wasn't ever there, she was in the UK and what purpose would it serve her to do so? AH wasn't even with her and IF she had dropped everything to get back because she smelt a rat, all the more reason to fill in resident - Australia, if coming back for 8 days. WHY write home duties on the card if she was rushing back to a rat and filled it out just before the flight, she is a teacher and she didn't have a home, she had sold it and she was traveling through the UK.

Passenger card says she was coming in for 8 days and the passport never left Australia again. He had someone else come in on that passport, another victim from Europe or someone he knew IMO

The unfilled passport number and the big fat tick for married, was filled out just prior to the passport coming back in. Marion had already prefilled most of the card and AH held onto them along with her passport. HOW could she get home without it.

She didn't come home. The car was possibly about another victim, not Marion.

JMO

Marion never once mentioned Luxembourg in her known postcards and letter home. Perhaps AKA was censoring them but everything was about Amsterdam. He seemingly had no problem with her mentioning The Netherlands.

The JO trip 2 years later still puzzles me. Why take such a wide detour from Hook of Holland to Harwich port in Essex? It makes no sense if he intended taking her on a trip round Kent and East Sussex as with Marion? Why did he seemingly avoid the Kent Channel ports in 1999? It was the most obvious and quickest route to take.

 

[ruby925]

Marion never once mentioned Luxembourg in her known postcards and letter home. Perhaps AKA was censoring them but everything was about Amsterdam. He seemingly had no problem with her mentioning The Netherlands.

The JO trip 2 years later still puzzles me. Why take such a wide detour from Hook of Holland to Harwich port in Essex? It makes no sense if he intended taking her on a trip round Kent and East Sussex as with Marion? Why did he seemingly avoid the Kent Channel ports in 1999? It was the most obvious and quickest route to take.

Marion's departing passenger card showed Europe as her destination, which was crossed out and someone wrote 'LUXENBERG'. This could have been RB, Marion or a Border Control officer. It may have been misspelt, but IMO Luxembourg was in the mix at that point.

 

[Untangle]

I keep thinking about JF too. Was Mr AKA ever known for going over to Oslo?

That case really got under my skin and especially the guy that was staying in the room on the other side of the corridor.

No, we don't know if AKA has ever been to Norway.

But as I have mentioned before, there is also the case of the mysterious Isdal Woman who was found dead in Bergen, Norway in 1970. She remains unidentified to this day.

She claimed to be from Belgium and used a number of fake identities.

Several eyewitnesses told the police they had seen her in the company of a foreign man in the days leading up to her death. He was described as tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and possibly a somewhat big nose.

AKA may have been in Europe for most of 1970, for the duration of the Isdal Woman's extensive travels throughout the continent that year.

Is it a coincidence that AKA seems to apply for a visa back to Australia on 25 November 1970, just two days after the Isdal Woman was last seen alive?

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Was cash and jewellery and perhaps even narcotics being transported inside these reconditioned sofa’s across European borders?

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

MC - One time when he told me come to Australia with me
AS - So that is interesting

It most certainly is but the recording is either cut or conversation ends.

Why would he want her in Australia where he had a wife and 2 children waiting?

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Marion never once mentioned Luxembourg in her known postcards and letter home. Perhaps AKA was censoring them but everything was about Amsterdam. He seemingly had no problem with her mentioning The Netherlands.

The JO trip 2 years later still puzzles me. Why take such a wide detour from Hook of Holland to Harwich port in Essex? It makes no sense if he intended taking her on a trip round Kent and East Sussex as with Marion? Why did he seemingly avoid the Kent Channel ports in 1999? It was the most obvious and quickest route to take.

God only knows with him but one could speculate that he has stuff (identity documents and valuables?) stashed in storage lockers hither and thither and / or avoiding certain stations, ports, airports, routes and swerve various people or authorities.

Or there's people he particularly wanted to see whilst on that side of the world so he built routes and stops in.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

MC - One time when he told me come to Australia with me
AS - So that is interesting

It most certainly is but the recording is either cut or conversation ends.

Why would he want her in Australia where he had a wife and 2 children waiting?

He wouldn't. I imagine that type of talk coming from him means 'allow me to de-fund you and dispossess you of everything including all your identity documents' and we're not actually going anywhere.

In fact, come to think of it, one can only wonder if he never intends any woman to actually go anywhere with him and if Marion was actually prepared to up sticks and leave to go to the UK it threw a spanner in the works because his real idea is she sells her house and gives him all the cash...

 

[caitlincurious]

Marion's departing passenger card showed Europe as her destination, which was crossed out and someone wrote 'LUXENBERG'. This could have been RB, Marion or a Border Control officer. It may have been misspelt, but IMO Luxembourg was in the mix at that point.

I find it plausible that Luxembourg was seen by Marion OR represented to Marion as the final destination but that she didn’t want to jump the gun by telling Sally or anyone about RB, and where she was going, in case it didn’t work out and she embarrassed herself by another failed relationship. It also preserves that element of “surprise! I’m marrying this swish European man in Luxembourg” which Marion might have enjoyed the idea of - and we know RB tried to con other ladies into marrying him in secret by saying it would be fun.

I know someone who has done this (obscured the true reasons for travel when really it was for a romantic partnership - he came back with his tail between his legs…)

Either case, I truly don’t believe Marion was the one who came back to Aus.

 

[caitlincurious]

Marion's departing passenger card showed Europe as her destination, which was crossed out and someone wrote 'LUXENBERG'. This could have been RB, Marion or a Border Control officer. It may have been misspelt, but IMO Luxembourg was in the mix at that point.

I find it plausible that Luxembourg was seen by Marion OR represented to Marion as the final destination but that she didn’t want to jump the gun by telling Sally or anyone about RB, and where she was going, in case it didn’t work out and she embarrassed herself by another failed relationship. It also preserves that element of “surprise! I’m marrying this swish European man in Luxembourg” which Marion might have enjoyed the idea of - and we know RB tried to con other ladies into marrying him in secret by saying it would be fun.

I know someone who has done this (obscured the true reasons for travel when really it was for a romantic partnership - he came back with his tail between his legs…)

Either case, I truly don’t believe Marion was the one who came back to Aus.

This also explains Marion’s reaction when she was “busted” at the petrol station. For whatever reason, her and RB had agreed to keep the relationship secret and she went to considerable lengths to keep it that way.

And the reaction of her family (bar Sally and her dad) almost justified poor Marion’s fear of judgement - they way they’ve labelled her unlucky in love, naive, overly romantic etc. when in reality she’s the victim of crime

 

[marv hucker]

And the reaction of her family (bar Sally and her dad) almost justified poor Marion’s fear of judgement - they way they’ve labelled her unlucky in love, naive, overly romantic etc. when in reality she’s the victim of crime

Both can be true.

Predators target the vulnerable.

 

[Doesitmakesense]

This has probably been discussed. One thing I'm trying to understand is why the many cash withdrawals in Australia. I don't know how banks go about this, but I imagine if you wanted to clear out a large sum to close up an account you could go in and advise a branch and specify a date to collect and then the branch would ensure they have the cash on hand. Going on this being something that can and does happen (please let me know if this is not how it would work) I would think Marion would have to establish her identity etc prior to them handing the cash over. So going with this it makes me think Marion was not the person making the withdrawals as I think their would be less scrutiny taking the smaller amounts. All my SO

 

[mishy66]

I would like MC to be interviewed in her native language, I believe it would give more accurate information and the words would be hers without any suggestions or substitutions.
I agree with the posts above, RB was obviously considered to be good looking, educated, charming, lots of fun and in MC's case at least, not overtly controlling. Great backstory concocted IMO, family burned at Auschwitz, left as an orphan in Berlin, taken by the English and adopted in Australia. Scars on legs due to machine gun war wounds whilst fighting for the Australians (in Vietnam was a suggestion by the interviewer). Then he was a Special Agent for the English Embassy, kept at least 10 ID cards hidden in soil (ID's which he needed as a Special Agent), and one of his aliases was Willi Bouten. So, a good looking war hero who told MC he loved her all the time and he had an exciting job...what's not to like?! Sadly too good to be true...IMO obvs
There is something about the castles and furniture though. Maybe country houses more likely than castles, but stealing antque furniture in UK and reselling elsewhere in Europe (including your own shop) sounds very plausible if you have a base in East Sussex and a van.. To be fair, it can also be lucrative to buy antique furniture at auction in UK and sell on, so a bit of mix and match might give an air of legitimacy.
All MOO
Also, I had thought that RB had 'acquired' an FNR International Drivers' License, which he then used to get a QLD license. The podcast says he got a Luxembourg license which he used to get an IDL. Which is right please? Did both of these require a photo in those days?

Yes great points @ruby925 and @Observe_dont_Absorb and also in regard to the antique movements around the same time he had the van and the Remakels had their businesses. What were her "team of men " (who also included another a William / Willy, too if Im not mistaken. So she knew 3 men named Willy? All working in the same industry? ) all driving around in vans when FR owned a "bookshop" and whatever the business (a warehouse?) was around the cnr from AH furniture business?

Somewhere in all of these theories is the truth of why MC is now happy to out him.

Re the license I heard it that he had FR licence and was able to transfer that into an Australian licence. I dont know if a Lux licence had a photo on it but even if it did, it was the 80s and he was a master of forgery.

 

[KiwiNZ]

Re the license I heard it that he had FR licence and was able to transfer that into an Australian licence. I dont know if a Lux licence had a photo on it but even if it did, it was the 80s and he was a master of forgery.

My understanding is he used the FR licence to get an international licence and then the international licence to get the Aus Drivers licence

I dont know how you just exchange an international license for an Aus one without doing a test ? or supplying other ID ?

International licenses did have a photo in 1997 but mine was paper and basic the photo was just glued to the back page, in the UK I could not swap my international Drivers license for a UK one but I could swap my NZ drivers license for a UK one but I required more than just the drivers license as ID -

 

[MrPickles]

Probably a little too brazen this one. Is there a timeline for 2007?

Man steals $28 million in diamonds from bank

A man stole $28 million worth of diamonds from an Antwerp bank where he had been a trusted customer for a year using a stolen Argentine passport, officials said Monday. He was one of several trusted diamond traders with access to the vault.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[gymtonic]

Probably a little too brazen this one. Is there a timeline for 2007?

Man steals $28 million in diamonds from bank

A man stole $28 million worth of diamonds from an Antwerp bank where he had been a trusted customer for a year using a stolen Argentine passport, officials said Monday. He was one of several trusted diamond traders with access to the vault.

www.nbcnews.com

As far as I recall this was Eliser Mishali?

 

[Annalize]

Both can be true.

Predators target the vulnerable.

Some predators target successful, independent women and make them vulnerable by coercion ..
When the "knight in shining armour" becomes the nightmare

 

[MrPickles]

As far as I recall this was Eliser Mishali?

You’re on the money. His brother Yehuda. Talk about brazen!

 

[KiwiNZ]

My understanding is he used the FR licence to get an international licence and then the international licence to get the Aus Drivers licence

I dont know how you just exchange an international license for an Aus one without doing a test ? or supplying other ID ?

International licenses did have a photo in 1997 but mine was paper and basic the photo was just glued to the back page, in the UK I could not swap my international Drivers license for a UK one but I could swap my NZ drivers license for a UK one but I required more than just the drivers license as ID -

sorry should also add the international drivers license is only to translate your countries drivers license into multiple other languages and you MUST carry your actual driver license with it, it doesn't replace it.

In theory he shouldn't have been able to exchange an international drivers license for an Aus one without the original Lux drivers license, However this is RB, fake it till you make it ...

 

[mishy66]

Anything I personally post up that may be new to some, please know it has already been sent to the authorities / crime stoppers long before

 

[Liselle]

‘Fraud is the skin of the truth stuffed with lies’ I just heard this on one of my shows. How apt!

Another quote pertaining to our p.o.i. - Good morning, RB!

"The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone." George Bernard Shaw.