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

[TootsieFootsie]

So many aliases. There may be more victims who haven't heard of Marion Barter.

But at least it's getting some press overseas now, thanks to this brave lady for coming forward.

Have we heard anymore about the lady who he dumped in Bali ?

 

[Deleted member 249471]

From MPMB fb page:
“This photo is of the Lennox Head Post Office, which was burned down (arson) in early 1998. This is where Ric had his secret PO Box for his personal ad in Le Courrier Australien on 1994.”

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Hmmmm he gets rid of photos...

 

[Deleted member 249471]

View attachment 379135
From MPMB fb page:
“This photo is of the Lennox Head Post Office, which was burned down (arson) in early 1998. This is where Ric had his secret PO Box for his personal ad in Le Courrier Australien on 1994.”

The arson happened in early 1998. Do you get the sense that once Sally started asking too many questions too soon, he tried to destroy everything that linked him to FR?

 

[Estelle]

The man in the photo is the right height for RB. And the woman next to him is DdH, of that I’m sure! Spitting image of who we saw in court. When I saw it I gasped.

But what also struck me was DdH’s body language - it looks very codependent to me.

I think she was only in her early 20s then.

 

[Estelle]

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?

Can somebody please find the contents and date of the postcard MB sent which mentions Maz and the Dutch dentist? I thought she was going to go to Amsterdam with the Dutch dentist.

 

[Housemartyn]

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.

And then he pushed her off the side....

 

[mishy66]

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.

Huh?

 

[mishy66]

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?

SL has said that the flight "Marion " took to come back to Australia, CX103 originated in Amsterdam and had a lay over in Hong Kong then into Brisbane.


This is crucial info!

 

[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?

I found it! According to MPMB fb:

Marion wrote on a postcard,

"Shortly off to Amsterdam + the Orient Express on 15th July".

Marion then wrote on another postcard weeks later,

"Delayed my Orient trip til late August, first available booking due to earlier rains & floods in Germany & I don't want to leave UK just yet".

 

[mishy66]

Can somebody please find the contents and date of the postcard MB sent which mentions Maz and the Dutch dentist? I thought she was going to go to Amsterdam with the Dutch dentist.

No she didnt say that she was going to Amsterdam with the dentist.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Can somebody please find the contents and date of the postcard MB sent which mentions Maz and the Dutch dentist? I thought she was going to go to Amsterdam with the Dutch dentist.

Marion’s Brighton postcard postmarked 7/7/97 mentioned her forthcoming trip to Amsterdam and the Orient Express.

Her postcard with London Bridge postmarked July 1997 (no actual day) mentioned her forthcoming trip to see the Van Gogh Sunflowers and revisiting Holland (she had visited Holland a few years earlier with her 3rd husband).

The postcard to her sister mentioning the Dutch dentist & Mazz was the Strand Gate (Winchelsea East Sussex) one which hasn’t been released but is quoted in the TLV podcast episode 23 released 4/7/21. This postcard was postmarked 7/8/97 (after Marion’s supposed return to Australia) at Tonbridge (Kent) Royal Mail sorting office. That is interesting as Strand Gate is near Rye (East Sussex). She must have returned to Kent (possibly Tunbridge Wells which is 5 miles from Tonbridge) to post the card.

This card doesn’t mention travelling with a Dutch dentist just that she had met one. This card also mentions the delay in her Orient Express trip until late August due to the floods in Europe. The floods in Germany were from the 24/7/97 to 6/8/97.

I know the postmark delay has been questioned a few times. For what it’s worth I believe Marion would have posted the cards herself soon after writing them. The UK has postboxes pretty much everywhere you look. I think at that time there was a little sub Post Office in The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells where I believe she initially stayed.

Was the card written on or after the 2 August? If she did return to Australia then clearly before the 2 August.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

When did Marion win her Queensland teaching award?

Is a question we’ve often asked but couldn’t find an answer. We often wondered if RB could have seen newspaper articles about her and targeted her that way.

Answer: it was 1996!

According to MPMB fb, she then went on to be a finalist for the national teaching award and received that nomination in November 1996. The articles said she loved teaching!

Yet by Christmas 1996 she informed her family she was going overseas.

So what changed between November and December???

This is what she looked like in November 1996.

 

[BabeBlues]

So many aliases. There may be more victims who haven't heard of Marion Barter.

But at least it's getting some press overseas now, thanks to this brave lady for coming forward.

Have we heard anymore about the lady who he dumped in Bali ?

I hope they are able to find the lady who was stranded in Bali, how awful for her! The sad thing is I am sure a number of women he swindled may have since passed away or have health issues that affect their memory.
It was a stroke of luck that Ghislaine's daughter in law, Alexandra decided to do a search on FdH 16 years later and comes across Marion's story.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Marion’s Brighton postcard postmarked 7/7/97 mentioned her forthcoming trip to Amsterdam and the Orient Express.

Her postcard with London Bridge postmarked July 1997 (no actual day) mentioned her forthcoming trip to see the Van Gogh Sunflowers and revisiting Holland (she had visited Holland a few years earlier with her 3rd husband).

The postcard to her sister mentioning the Dutch dentist & Mazz was the Strand Gate (Winchelsea East Sussex) one which hasn’t been released but is quoted in the TLV podcast episode 23 released 4/7/21. This postcard was postmarked 7/8/97 (after Marion’s supposed return to Australia) at Tonbridge (Kent) Royal Mail sorting office. That is interesting as Strand Gate is near Rye (East Sussex). She must have returned to Kent (possibly Tunbridge Wells which is 5 miles from Tonbridge) to post the card.

This card doesn’t mention travelling with a Dutch dentist just that she had met one. This card also mentions the delay in her Orient Express trip until late August due to the floods in Europe. The floods in Germany were from the 24/7/97 to 6/8/97.

I know the postmark delay has been questioned a few times. For what it’s worth I believe Marion would have posted the cards herself soon after writing them. The UK has postboxes pretty much everywhere you look. I think at that time there was a little sub Post Office in The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells where I believe she initially stayed.

Was the card written on or after the 2 August? If she did return to Australia then clearly before the 2 August.

Thank you!!!

So if we go simply by postcards and disregard the passport for a moment…

7 July postcard, Marion fully expects to go to Amsterdam and is scheduled to be on the Orient Express on 15 July.

On another July postcard, she again mentions visiting Holland soon.

31 July/1 August, she calls Sally to say her Orient Express trip fell through but she’ll be travelling and enjoying her holiday so won’t write as often.

7 August postcard, she writes about meeting a Dutch dentist and a woman named Mazz at Strand Gate, Winchelsea (near Rye) but postmark is Kent.

And she also mentions that due to flooding (sleuths say 24 July to 6 August) the next available Orient Express will be late August.

Then there was a 30 August postcard.

 

[smarshsu]

How sad is it that all these women have been scammed over the years and nothing has been done for them? The few women that report it are placated and made to feel like it was their fault. If they do find the con artist the laws don't really give any sort of penalty. Why hasn't RB been arrested on several of the scams that come out so far? Are they making a case against for that at least? It did not really help the new Belgium woman when she reported it. They didn't take it seriously until the woman in Tornai reported them. There's got to be so many victims out there. The police she make a plea. I imagine there's women out there that have been scammed and are too ashamed and didn't realize they weren't the only ones.

The lawmakers and police need to take these cases seriously. Online scamming is far more popular today and nothing is done to help people get their money back. Again its your fault.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

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.

100% that is the question and I believe she was involved as an insider. Her motivation is to now deflect as the story is getting exposed and far too close to home, she would likely be called for a formal interview any time soon and has decided upon a story.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

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?

Probably antique markets, auctions, and fayres. He's likely only stealing and selling within a few areas - artwork of value, jewellery, ornaments, and silverware including table services. When he wasn't interested in the books is a real tell - books are heavy, low value, and often even totally worthless due to mass production. He was cherry picking.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I hope they are able to find the lady who was stranded in Bali, how awful for her! The sad thing is I am sure a number of women he swindled may have since passed away or have health issues that affect their memory.
It was a stroke of luck that Ghislaine's daughter in law, Alexandra decided to do a search on FdH 16 years later and comes across Marion's story.

The police must already know this woman as they approached Ghislaine off the back of her report to them. So, lets hope they have compiled a lot of information we don't yet know about!?

 

[gymtonic]

Thank you!!!

So if we go simply by postcards and disregard the passport for a moment…

7 July postcard, Marion fully expects to go to Amsterdam and is scheduled to be on the Orient Express on 15 July.

On another July postcard, she again mentions visiting Holland soon.

31 July/1 August, she calls Sally to say her Orient Express trip fell through but she’ll be travelling and enjoying her holiday so won’t write as often.

7 August postcard, she writes about meeting a Dutch dentist and a woman named Mazz at Strand Gate, Winchelsea (near Rye) but postmark is Kent.

And she also mentions that due to flooding (sleuths say 24 July to 6 August) the next available Orient Express will be late August.

Then there was a 30 August postcard.

What I found interesting during AC‘s submissions was that he made no mention of the postcards in terms of reaching his conclusions. The phone call was mentioned and explained (although, if I heard it right, I believe AC made a contradictory statement in saying that the phone call on 31 July or 1 August could have been made soon after MB arrived in Australia? The arrival Date was 2 August…go figure?).

Anyway the postcards‘ content, dates and postmarks were not mentioned and no explanation for any postmarks after 2 August were provided. AC clearly stated explanations for discounting any other evidence that didn’t play to the narrative of their conclusions. Why were the postcards not mentioned?