Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #15

[Maddieb]

To me it seems like the bank manager was blackmailed into changing her story to say she saw Marion so it would stop the speculating and digging around, and ‘prove’ Marion returned.

Which now has me convinced it was NOT Marion who returned but an imposter.

I believe he (allegedly) killed her on purpose. I think the moment he realised Marion would agree to the name change, he knew he couldn’t let her live.

Because if she lived, she would eventually realise she’d been scammed and would go to police, just like the others.

She would tell police what he looked like and that his name was FR. And at the time, this would’ve been enough to find RB due to his FR driver’s license!

MOO. Just theorising.

I think MB possibly was there but bank did a dodgy in terms of releasing funds with inadequate ID….. lost bank card, old drivers licence without any other matching points of ID, and passport in wrong name.
“I’ll pay you not to ask questions”

 

[gymtonic]

French version of latest article (no paywall):

Informations du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région - Virgule.lu | Virgule

Toute l'actualité du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région est à retrouver sur Virgule.lu, le site d'informations qui traite de votre quotidien que vous soyez résidents ou frontaliers.

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So he tells her that he is a Bank Manager! Says that he is going to open up accounts for her kids in Australia, but to do this it has to be in cash, so she has to liquidate her savings. Hmmm Bank Manager eh?!

 

[Maddieb]

Maybe bank manager did recognize Sally’s pic of MB at the time in 1997 and was unhelpful and scared because they realized that they could be found out that they’d done the wrong thing and could be in big trouble and part of a bigger crime.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

@DerZuschauer​

Thank you for posting the article.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The photos don't show up in the translated version.
We can see them in the French version.

Informations du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région - Virgule.lu | Virgule

Toute l'actualité du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région est à retrouver sur Virgule.lu, le site d'informations qui traite de votre quotidien que vous soyez résidents ou frontaliers.

www.wort.lu

 

[Deleted member 249471]

I think MB possibly was there but bank did a dodgy in terms of releasing funds with inadequate ID….. lost bank card, old drivers licence without any other matching points of ID, and passport in wrong name.
“I’ll pay you not to ask questions”

Certainly a possibility!

But wasn’t it enough to just remain silent like everyone else at the bank?

The inquest was almost over, there were no files left from that year to prove anything, and the banks weren’t in trouble in any way.

Noone expects bank staff to remember the face or name of a random customer, who wasn’t a regular, from 25 years ago. Would’ve been safe and effective to continue in silence.

Suddenly speaking up after years of silence opens you up to a great deal of risk, exposure and scrutiny.

So one has to wonder why keeping silent was suddenly NOT a safe option.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think it's only the tip of the iceberg of his victims.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

“I am not stupid and never have been. And yet, I believed everything about this man. He came into my life when I was going through a bad patch. I was not well, I felt alone. And he took advantage of it. I was like the bird to the cat”.

 

[Maddieb]

Google translation of the above link. You'll see the translated version when you click the link.

The heading is

How a Belgian pensioner lost everything to a scammer​

Informations du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région - Virgule.lu | Virgule

Toute l'actualité du Luxembourg et de la Grande Région est à retrouver sur Virgule.lu, le site d'informations qui traite de votre quotidien que vous soyez résidents ou frontaliers.

www-wort-lu.translate.goog

Ok…. So the Bali connection is how he spruiks the weddings…. We know he is a cheapskate…. So he sells it as “no family- just you and I on a beach or a boat with the sunset in paradise”…. Blah blah blah……
Another confirmed abandonment overseas…..
Maybe some of his victims didn’t need/want marriage this Bali not the abandonment location.
Or maybe RBs travel agent was supposed to arrange flights home via Bali…….?
Is there a way to see if any insurance has been paid out for any of his victims? (Alive or not?). I’m sure he’s familiar with scamming insurance companies.
Maybe Balinese insurers are easy pickings for sickness benefits? Maybe he has a Balinese radiographer willing to provide false liver results for a cut of a payout ?

 

[Maddieb]

Certainly a possibility!

But wasn’t it enough to just remain silent like everyone else at the bank?

The inquest was almost over, there were no files left from that year to prove anything, and the banks weren’t in trouble in any way.

Noone expects bank staff to remember the face or name of a random customer, who wasn’t a regular, from 25 years ago. Would’ve been safe and effective to continue in silence.

Suddenly speaking up after years of silence opens you up to a great deal of risk, exposure and scrutiny.

So one has to wonder why keeping silent was suddenly NOT a safe option.

Reward money? Or more money from RB in a desperate attempt to have a witness?

 

[Maddieb]

Reward money? Or more money from RB in a desperate attempt to have a witness?

Or blackmail….. if you don’t do this you will be exposed for accepting bribe back then?

 

[Maddieb]

I wonder if MB and RB could have gone to Bali via boat to avoid detection….. he could have arranged it so MB wasn’t aware it was a dodgy….. “it’ll be romantic….. I want to share my love of boats with you……”.
We know bribery is rife in Bali…. Sure he probably had mates there enabling his antics.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

How is he selling on stolen goods either in Europe or Australia? Not sure of the exchange rate but is the suggestion in the article that not all the money returned to Australia in one go? If so where was it in the meantime and did it require extra trips to Europe?

Also when was RBs last trip to Europe according to the inquest? Was it before 2013 when Belgium Police revisit GD about the new victim left in Bali?

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Reward money? Or more money from RB in a desperate attempt to have a witness?

You only get reward if the info you give leads to an arrest.

The info she gave implicated no one, it was simply that she saw Marion.

So that leaves RB gave her money to say she remembers Marion?

That exactly the point I made earlier! She was influenced to suddenly speak up. Except instead of RB giving her money, he blackmails her. Because we know he’s cheap and has been known to blackmail.

And you can politely refuse money because it’s not worth the risk, but it hard to refuse being blackmailed.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Or blackmail….. if you don’t do this you will be exposed for accepting bribe back then?

It’s exactly what I said.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

How is he selling on stolen goods either in Europe or Australia? Not sure of the exchange rate but is the suggestion in the article that not all the money returned to Australia in one go? If so where was it in the meantime and did it require extra trips to Europe?

Also when was RBs last trip to Europe according to the inquest? Was it before 2013 when Belgium Police revisit GD about the new victim left in Bali?

My suspicion is he places the valuables and money in all those different places he stops at when he travels. The places he went with JO and similarly with Marion. And then collects it / sells it bit by bit.

If he uses an accomplice, then they could bring half the money too.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

The podcast mw mentioned that Marion said her next stop was going to be Amsterdam.

In assume it was written in a postcard or letter.

I wonder if that was part of the Orient Express trip she had to cancel. Or something else?

 

[Maddieb]

It’s exactly what I said.

Snap!

 

[Maddieb]

Has anyone trawled old copies of the trading post for Marion’s possessions?

 

[Maddieb]

Also- wonder if RB always uses FedEx as preferred courier (though under a variety of names)?