Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #14

[KiwiNZ]

IMO they were in cahoots, Mike and Blum.
There is absolutely no way Blum could hope to pull off that caper with JO and not be recognized by Mike and Bazza afterwards, therefore IMO Mike was involved to some degree. It's public knowledge that Mike's divorce settlement was not a happy one, so perhaps he cooked up a plan to recoup some of his $$$'s

oh never thought of that ... good one BonnieB

 

[KiwiNZ]

podcast dropped -

Happy to be corrected but I thought it was said at the inquest and the podcast that in Blums first statement to police he mentioned the Pilot / man in uniform. I couldn't worked out how in 24hrs he had swatted up on that bit of information and presented it in his first statement (June 2021)

Seems he DIDNT mention the pilot in his first interview, that came later ... more time to listen to the podcast and weave his story

The real FR was interesting, cant even remember RB, didn't like AS's comment about one of the 2 is lying ... there is only one lair as far as I am concerned, she needs to get over herself.

Heaven knows why his wife said RB was friends with FR

This guy is so low, revolting.

 

[BonnieB]

This guy is so low, revolting.

The way he speaks about Marion is SO disgusting, just shows his character completely - an absolute low life! A waste of space and not worthy of the oxygen he consumes IMO

 

[brjakj]

podcast dropped -

Happy to be corrected but I thought it was said at the inquest and the podcast that in Blums first statement to police he mentioned the Pilot / man in uniform. I couldn't worked out how in 24hrs he had swatted up on that bit of information and presented it in his first statement (June 2021)

Seems he DIDNT mention the pilot in his first interview, that came later ... more time to listen to the podcast and weave his story

The real FR was interesting, cant even remember RB, didn't like AS's comment about one of the 2 is lying ... there is only one lair as far as I am concerned, she needs to get over herself.

Heaven knows why his wife said RB was friends with FR

This guy is so low, revolting.

Probably RB told his wife he was friends with FR to hide the fact he was cheating on her with MC!

I also don’t see what the interest he claims Marion had in other guys has to do with anything. It won’t change the fact he was one of the last people to see her. It just makes him sound like a pr**k

 

[Gringe]

Hey websleuths!

Compelled to post after the most recent revelations which have made clearer two things that never sat right with me…. Firstly Marion having a fling while being in the beginnings stages of her relationship with JW, with whom all things described, she was living her dream life at the time….

And secondly though related is the coincidence of the apparent meeting decades previous and her placing or answering an ad to the same guy - the slim odds raised a massive red flag.

I’m impressed that they truly gave him a grilling and made him squirm but thinking about what happened in those months in 1997 made me sad while listening.

The medicard use stands out… but perhaps an attempt to indicate proof of life and give any tracks time to disappear.

I wonder if there’s anything else that stands out as not fitting the narrative (apart from everything!) I hope answers can be found wherever they are hiding.

 

[KiwiNZ]

The medicard use stands out… but perhaps an attempt to indicate proof of life and give any tracks time to disappear.

welcome !!

I am just not sure on the proof of life by using the medicare card, by all accounts MB did not exist, why make an effort to place her back in Aus ? surely that could only make police ( if investigating properly) dig deeper, Had the police actually followed this up in a timely manner which would be the point of proof of life and it wasn't Marion whom the Dr had seen then they would have followed the trail, something that RB would have wanted to avoid.

I think it was either Marion ( maybe lost her glasses while overseas ? ) or DHD but using it not for proof of life, just using it because she could. Probably one of many money saving scams RB subjected his wife too

 

[KiwiNZ]

Probably RB told his wife he was friends with FR to hide the fact he was cheating on her with MC!

I also don’t see what the interest he claims Marion had in other guys has to do with anything. It won’t change the fact he was one of the last people to see her. It just makes him sound like a pr**k

Bet his wife is only getting the truth now via the TLV podcast - thanks to the original interview with him stating he cheated on her with MC - since he ducked & dived around that one at the inquest

To think he didn't even need to speak to them (the police), but he's a talker, loves himself that much he thinks he can talk himself into anything and out of .. in this case, loose lips sink ships, good job.

 

[BonnieB]

I think it was either Marion ( maybe lost her glasses while overseas ? ) or DHD but using it not for proof of life, just using it because she could. Probably one of many money saving scams RB subjected his wife too

I agree and can't see the point of deliberately placing Marion back in Australia. I can't see any advantage to DdH using the card either. As a pensioner, she was able to access free eye exams with her own Medicare card.
I can however, imagine Marion visiting an optometrist after 2 fairly recent long haul flights which can cause dry and irritable eyes in some passengers.
This leads me to suspect Marion was taken to a place somewhere in the Grafton area and whilst stocking up on supplies, she popped into the optometrist for a quick check up or eye drops. I suspect her "companion" was probably unaware she did so.
Then, I'm led to wonder why Mr. Blum mentioned in his first statement to police, that Marion had mentioned to him that she was interested in buying a property in Iluka, less than an hour's drive from Grafton. Iluka, a tiny, out-of-the-way, fishing village, was a most unlikely place to attract someone like Marion.
IMO it's curious how one thing leads to another hey?

 

[Gringe]

welcome !!

I am just not sure on the proof of life by using the medicare card, by all accounts MB did not exist, why make an effort to place her back in Aus ? surely that could only make police ( if investigating properly) dig deeper, Had the police actually followed this up in a timely manner which would be the point of proof of life and it wasn't Marion whom the Dr had seen then they would have followed the trail, something that RB would have wanted to avoid.

I think it was either Marion ( maybe lost her glasses while overseas ? ) or DHD but using it not for proof of life, just using it because she could. Probably one of many money saving scams RB subjected his wife too

Thanks!

It's odd, very careless to leave such a trace.

I lean towards Marion coming back and withdrawing the cash in person but not exactly under duress at this point. Even though she is agited re. Sally not passing over the money for the car and perhaps an uneasy feeling, Blum's manipultion would still need to be in play for her to do so, unaccompanied as appears to be the case.

Once Marion worst fears are confirmed I expect she would quickly feel a weight of humilation and would very possibly not wish to return to her family any time soon. Perhaps she tried to get the money back from RB and he chose to end her life.

 

[BonnieB]

Best photo yet, thanks to a poster on the Marion Barter fb page. It's actually a moving video and quite realistic. Hopefully will jog someone's memory.

 

[KiwiNZ]

Thanks!

It's odd, very careless to leave such a trace.

I lean towards Marion coming back and withdrawing the cash in person but not exactly under duress at this point. Even though she is agited re. Sally not passing over the money for the car and perhaps an uneasy feeling, Blum's manipultion would still need to be in play for her to do so, unaccompanied as appears to be the case.

Once Marion worst fears are confirmed I expect she would quickly feel a weight of humilation and would very possibly not wish to return to her family any time soon. Perhaps she tried to get the money back from RB and he chose to end her life.

I agree - I think it was Marion who withdraw the money, I even think she made the statement about not wanting contact with her family - but I believe at that stage there was some C and Bull story from RB and I think she thought her relationship or even RB's life was at risk, I think he had complete control over her and she was acting irrationally because of it. IMO and if it was her that withdraw the money I think you would/ could assume it was her who went to the eye dr.

 

[MrsWattle]

Best photo yet, thanks to a poster on the Marion Barter fb page. It's actually a moving video and quite realistic. Hopefully will jog someone's memory.

I like the moving video in the FB post. How clever . I wonder how he dressed back in the day? Hats or glasses, European threads? He's let himself go these days.

 

[Nnbee]

The new photo is fascinating. MdH definitely looks like RB.
In one of the FB comments Joni mentions he looks different again in 1996-7. I wonder if they have seen the drivers license in the name of FNR in the BOE? Would that mean it is uploaded to the NAA now ?

 

[insanity]

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I like the moving video in the FB post. How clever . I wonder how he dressed back in the day? Hats or glasses, European threads? He's let himself go these days.

Is it just me or does he look like Ivan Milat in this pic??

 

[BonnieB]

He's let himself go these days.

I would say he had a complete make-over for the inquest. Badly fitted Hawaiian shirts, baggy shorts and ugly sandals - oh, and an op-shop "Hero" walker thingy. Probably a little pale foundation make-up too.
Who turns up at court dressed like that?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Who turns up at court dressed like that?

The poor pensioner look, or his idea of one.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Is it just me or does he look like Ivan Milat in this pic??

It's just the hat and the moustache, but in my opinion he doesn't look like Milat.

 

[KiwiNZ]

off topic but is anyone else having issues with the amount of advertising on this website - I cant even read the posts in full, I only have a small snippet of the posts sandwich between all the adverts !!!!

 

[BonnieB]

off topic but is anyone else having issues with the amount of advertising on this website - I cant even read the posts in full, I only have a small snippet of the posts sandwich between all the adverts !!!!


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Wow, that's awful. I've noticed some page instability, spacing between posts etc. so perhaps this is what to expect in the future. I no longer watch commercial TV because of the ads so if that's the future of WS...

 

[Carovb5]

Best photo yet, thanks to a poster on the Marion Barter fb page. It's actually a moving video and quite realistic. Hopefully will jog someone's memory.

Anyone got a close-up pic from one of the hearings? I’m curious about the asymmetrical lip in this pic (also the original). If it’s still there it might jog peoples memories…