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

[TootsieFootsie]

I think this is going to be a long day for those involved, barristers, witnesses etc.

 

[Seriallyaddicted]

GGB - statement was taken 03 Nov 2020 ? so these dots were starting to join way back then ?

Yesterday the court corrected an interview date to November 2021 from November 2020 which was incorrectly written apparently. When I heard 2020 I was like “why wasn’t this brought up last year at inquest”, so wrong date makes sense.

 

[StrangerDanger]

Did todays witness say her statement was from January 2020?

 

[KiwiNZ]

Oh lord, the technical issues, I feel like this part is gonna take a long time to get through.

right about now I bet he wished he used the name John Smith

I think this is going to be a long day for those involved, barristers, witnesses etc.

what sort of question - what is your date of birth, to your understanding

They don't really help themselves with convoluted questions

Long day ahead, poor lady

 

[Belleandsebastian]

Did todays witness say her statement was from January 2020?

I thought it was '2000'

 

[Deleted member 249471]

I am scared of where this witness and questioning is going... acreage, secluded....

Woodburn is less than an hour drive south of Byron Bay. Only half hour south of Ballina.

 

[vivienbee]

I dunno why but I find something about watching the Addisons guy so entertaining.

 

[vivienbee]

I am scared of where this witness and questioning is going... acreage, secluded....

Woodburn is less than an hour drive south of Byron Bay. Only half hour south of Ballina.

I think this would be too long afterwards to be likely?

 

[othervee]

I just don't understand why the Inquest is the place for revealing this information and investigating his character, this wouldn't be the place to accuse him of anything, would it?

It's fascinating to me, but I can't understand why the police aren't just working on either finding evidence to charge him, or eliminating him. Doesn't including him in the Inquest give him a bit of a heads up that he is under suspicion of something (if he is), and doesn't this give him more opportunity to do adopt a new guise and do a runner?

They have established that this man had a relationship with Marion which was previously unknown to her friends and family and that he was in contact with her just before she disappeared, so his evidence is vital to the circumstances around her disappearance. They must know where he is, because they indicated that they have taken a statement from him. What they are doing now is trying to establish a pattern of behavior with relation to his manipulations of vulnerable women, as this may indicate a way he behaved with Marion.

I suspect that there are a few motives in making these details public. One might be to flush out other victims, who may have previously thought they were the only one and been too ashamed to come forward. There may be other victims out there who can fill in some of the gaps about his movements or other aliases which might help to discover what happened to Marion.

 

[StrangerDanger]

They have established that this man had a relationship with Marion which was previously unknown to her friends and family and that he was in contact with her just before she disappeared, so his evidence is vital to the circumstances around her disappearance. They must know where he is, because they indicated that they have taken a statement from him. What they are doing now is trying to establish a pattern of behavior with relation to his manipulations of vulnerable women, as this may indicate a way he behaved with Marion.

I suspect that there are a few motives in making these details public. One might be to flush out other victims, who may have previously thought they were the only one and been too ashamed to come forward. There may be other victims out there who can fill in some of the gaps about his movements or other aliases which might help to discover what happened to Marion.

Yes I was sitting here thinking the same- I would bet money that there are other women out there that he has done this too. I hope embarrassment doesn’t stop them from coming forward.

 

[roland625]

I'm managing to follow the content of the, and I know that the purpose of the Inquest is to establish whether or not Marion Barter is living or has died. I assume there is no evidence that RB has committed any crime against Marion Barter, otherwise I expect he would have been charged already. So I'm wondering what is the basis for his inclusion in this process.

Coronial inquests are generally suspended when/if criminal charges are laid. The fact that the inquest is ongoing at this stage suggests the police don't have enough to charge him (doesn't mean they have no evidence against him).

There have been more than a few coronial inquests in Australia where the evidence strongly points to a suspect but the suspect is never charged (often this involves cold cases where initial investigation was botched). Sound familiar?

 

[othervee]

I feel sorry for both the witness and Counsel Assisting in this questioning. They clearly inhabit very different worlds. He's having to be very patient to try and get the answers he wants, and she clearly isn't used to a situation where she has to give clear, factual, concise responses and nothing else.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

More evidence RB targeted single women with assets not to seduce but to engage in 'business opportunities'.

Perhaps just as he proposed to JO, RB could’ve persuaded Marion to sell her antiques in London.

Edit: I spoke too soon, he did eventually seduce JO!

 

[KiwiNZ]

I thought it was '2000'

The statement for the inquest, not her original complaint (in 2000). Which means they were on to him awhile ago

 

[KiwiNZ]

Did todays witness say her statement was from January 2020?

yes that her statement for the inquest (2020), not her original statement about her complaint

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Teresa O’Sullivan – NSW State Coroner
Adam Casselden – council assisting representing Coroner
Mr Smith from Addisons – representing Sally Leydon, family of missing person Marion Barter
Kim Burke – representing NSW Police for Graham Childs and Garry Sheehan
Bridget Kennedy - representing Ric Blum (seen on day 1)

 

[TootsieFootsie]

How many names are we up to now.

 

[Belleandsebastian]

You can add 'Ric West' to this list.

And Rich Richard...

 

[KiwiNZ]

How many names are we up to now.

I don't think he saw that new name change coming ?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I wasn't sure if we already knew that one lol.

And Rich Richard...