Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #8

[Belleandsebastian]

Doesn’t he speak confidently and captivatingly about the stories! If people didn’t know of him, his relevant history, the context in which he finds himself presently, most people would be so heart broken for him and drawn in. Preying on vulnerable women is one thing but preying on kind-hearted women who just want to ‘rescue him’ with all of their compassion is next level in my opinion.

Agreed 100%. He has leveraged this throughout his life and sadly used it for terrible things. I can just imagine him regaling Marion and the other women with his tales and sorrow of being an orphan. I think Marion would have thought he was not like the other men she’d been with and that perhaps she had finally found someone special. He would have love bombed his victims, all the while manipulating them and discreetly putting them down so they knew their place.

 

[Estelle]

Thank you. I was looking for a record of her coming into the country around 1970 other than on the voyage we looked at. But I haven't found one. The records seem to stop at 1972.

Did anyone get the impression that Diane was born in the UK? I did or her parents emigrated from the UK. They must have been older parents IMO and reasonably wealthy owning various businesses here and living at Vaucluse. (I read that on a previous post but did note the links as I was not interested). But then I wonder if she was on an overseas trip with her parents from Australia and was born here.

IMO I don't think that Diane and RB met on a ship. I think they met in 1975 (could have been 1974) in Sydney when she was about 24yo.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I'm pretty good at figuring out where someone comes from by their accent and the only accent I detect from Diane is Australian born.

If she was born somewhere else she must have arrived here when she was very young.
It didn't even enter my mind that she might not have been born here (in Australia)

 

[Estelle]

An alternative thought on why DdH wasn’t there today- I can imagine RB could be quite controlling and wouldn’t want D to hear any more bombshells that he had neglected to mention (other children, wives, affairs) so made her stay home. Bet the daughter was glued to the proceedings though. Gosh, what must his children think of all this.

It has been my impression that they are now living with the daughter. Is that correct?

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

My reading of this -- and of course, it's just an opinion -- was that he would've 'encouraged' her to stay home, probably telling her that it would be long and tiring and there was no need to put herself through it. Then he would be able to speak more freely about the tricky points where he'd lied to his wife and to present her to the court as being in some way confused, possibly with brain injuries, and otherwise deficient.

Or she chose for herself not to go still in shock after learning so much yesterday. But I suspect she would have seen it or at least spoken to her daughter when court adjourned for breaks as I doubt highly his children wouldn’t be watching.

 

[bettyboop]

Did anyone get the impression that Diane was born in the UK? I did or her parents emigrated from the UK. They must have been older parents IMO and reasonably wealthy owning various businesses here and living at Vaucluse. (I read that on a previous post but did note the links as I was not interested). But then I wonder if she was on an overseas trip with her parents from Australia and was born here.

IMO I don't think that Diane and RB met on a ship. I think they met in 1975 (could have been 1974) in Sydney when she was about 24yo.

@Estelle , I was thinking along these same lines. I was going to ask if Diane was born in Australia. For some reason I had assumed so. In this case, probably not a good idea to assume anything. JMO MOO

 

[KiwiNZ]

I'm pretty good at figuring out where someone comes from by their accent and the only accent I detect from Diane is Australian born.

If she was born somewhere else she must have arrived here when she was very young.
It didn't even enter my mind that she might not have been born here (in Australia)

She was born in Sydney

 

[SLouTh]

It has been my impression that they are now living with the daughter. Is that correct?

@Estelle I think so....... that was mentioned today in court... at least that is what I thought I heard.....

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

100% - the most appropriate thing to do was for her to contact her solicitor and have him (the absent one or the step in one, lol) make an application of some sort. I don’t think DdH knew about it. I wonder what her thoughts are. Wonder if her brain is ticking about this all / him yet?!

I think her brain is definitely ticking about all of this how could it not. She is a woman who clearly has put her husbands needs and wants before her own and he has embarrassed and humiliated her and the kids… affairs, marriages, children, various names, deceit and more than anything a person of interest in the inquest of a missing woman that he had a relationship with. She would not be human if her brain wasn’t ticking and questioning to herself every aspect of the last 45 years.

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

It has been my impression that they are now living with the daughter. Is that correct?

That’s what I thought too in fact I think he said that today.

 

[othervee]

Did anyone get the impression that Diane was born in the UK?

Diane was born in Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald of April 20 1951 has a birth notice for a Diane Walker born on April 16, 1951.

 

[SamintheSak]

Really wish I knew what they are discussing. That was Sally’s representation asking for the closing of the court, correct?

I think there may have been a discussion about how RB does not have legal council. It's a problem if he isn't represented properly within the coroner's court, like with the notes today, and could cause problems down the line for a potential criminal investigation.

 

[TheCoolestNeopian]

Would everyone think I'm a monster if I'm lowkey chuckling at my desk thinking about him saying he was "pulverised" in "the swine forest"?

If he's done what I think he's done, I imagine quite a few people would like to see him pulverised in the swine forest.

 

[bettyboop]

DBM

 

[Eyespywithmylittleeye]

Ok my take and questions from today:
- his mother had her legs blown off? But then was on and he went to live with her later.
- later in the day he calls her Maria, not mum or my mother, seemed very cold
- why is he compelled to answer all of these questions that seem to have thing to do with Marion? Eg Number of affairs etc. I get why, as they are building a body of evidence but why can’t he just say ‘I don’t believe that is relevant’?
- narcissists always sack their lawyers and represent themselves
- the reference to not remembering his first daughters name was Cold As Ice
- Interpol HAS to be after him. Is that why they are going through all of this in detail??

I don’t think you can answer I don’t believe this is relevant. You can def say I don’t remember but I don’t think you can refuse to answer.. it’s an inquest not a trial.

but I’m not a legal eagle so perhaps you can.

I took the comment of not remembering his daughters name as him further adding to the suggestion that he believed she wasn’t his. What I found cold as ice was the comment of leaving the past behind quite a good analysis of his character.. ilona had served her purpose he had residency.. so bye bye Ilona - and move on..except it wasn’t just Ilona .. it was his kids too..
this appears to have been the pattern his entire life.. take.. then leave and create new name.. and repeat.

 

[LouLouSleuth]

I think there may have been a discussion about how RB does not have legal council. It's a problem if he isn't represented properly within the coroner's court, like with the notes today, and could cause problems down the line for a potential criminal investigation.

Ahh… that makes a lot of sense.

 

[LouLouSleuth]

Oh and I think he was totally in love with Monique or at least holds her in high regard. Is she the blonde woman???
But it seems she rolled over on him or may be a victim too?? “I was young and naive”

 

[SLouTh]

I wonder if DDH's parents attended her wedding to RB???? As it was held in Pott's Point then I assume maybe they did, as it was so close to her family home....

However wouldn't they think it strange that Diane was marrying a man who had changed his name since they met him??? If the Chusan story is true??? And the Hilton Hotel, South Hampton where he said he introduced himself as WW???? Or was the deH name already in use???

Was he escaping his crimes under the WW name, by using the cruise to leave the UK??????

But this does not account for why, they do not appear on the passenger lists???


JMO

 

[SLouTh]

Diane was born in Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald of April 20 1951 has a birth notice for a Diane Walker born on April 16, 1951.

Any chance you were able to find a Marriage Notice???? or Engagement Notice as well???
TIA

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Just catching up on posts I missed. Some were wondering if they have no evidence on RB because the court has barely asked about Marion.

IMO this is just a strategy.
There'll likely be two more days of Blum.
They're getting through all the info in chronological order.
They're determining facts from fiction.
Establishing his history of fraud and patterns to stalk, prey, deceive and steal.
They're making sure he talks a lot.
They're trying to exhaust him, bring down his barriers and get him loose.
Then they will finally bring up Marion.
Fingers crossed Casselden will drop some new evidence none of us have ever heard.
And hopefully by then he'll have talked himself into a corner he can't get out of.