Australia Australia - Marion Barter - Missing After Trip to UK - June 1997 #20

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

If he hit the jackpot anyhow, how come he was having to scam his kids into dental care? For me, that speaks volumes.

I mean how much does dental treatment cost in Australia? Aren't ones children entitled to some form of low cost treatment before the age of 18 and especially if one is on disability benefits?

Some people suspect AKA was gambling. I don't. Anyone with his mindset would know gambling is a mug's game and deride the very idea. If he ever did hang out in casinos it would be looking for 'marks', IMO JMO.

The only reasons I thought he may be a gambler was his mention of watching the GGs on TV and the fact he said (if you can believe anything he says) that he went to the South of France. The region he mentioned is prime casino country. His wife also did make the comment about him having no big wins. Incidentally Marion lived very close to a race track.

Anyone in his line of business is a natural gambler with the possibility of being caught at any moment by making an error or wrong judgement. You never know when a Policeman may come knocking on the door. Sadly in his case it took way too long.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Excluding his beloved deH children this guy has no feelings for his own flesh and blood in ER and according to her allegedly suggesting she become a prostitute and also tried to poison her. The type of person who couldn’t care less if he shot an innocent child?? You know where I am going with this. JMO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

. His wife also did make the comment about him having no big wins.

Perhaps that was his explanation for some of the money he conned out of his victims.

There were probably better and more certain odds for him as a swindler, rather than trying a game of chance.

 

[CuriousKat99]

I don’t think MB was naive sexually - she’d been around a long time had a few husbands

I don’t really understand the connection between Marion’s sexual activity and experience and this case. AKA brought it up numerous times while on the witness stand, as if it was something that everybody would find shocking. Get with the modern world AKA! This kind of game may have worked on some people 30 years ago but these days, nobody cares.

 

[Kie22]

Yeah I agree. And if she came back, there must be SOMEONE that recalls her… a Novotel employee, a shop assistant, anything…

I’m one of those people who remembers everyone and finds it weird when other people don’t. So I’m like, come ON! Someone has to remember SOMETHING.

Agree, which is why I think she might have changed her appearance - blonde hair, new glasses....

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I don’t really understand the connection between Marion’s sexual activity and experience and this case. AKA brought it up numerous times while on the witness stand, as if it was something that everybody would find shocking. Get with the modern world AKA! This kind of game may have worked on some people 30 years ago but these days, nobody cares.

Thanks @CuriousKat99

I was just fuming over this and thinking of posting, but you said it better than I could.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I also want to give a reminder that this site is victim friendly, and Marion is a victim.

 

[Laughing]

I also want to give a reminder that this site is victim friendly, and Marion is a victim.

Marion's adult children are victims as well imho.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Housemartyn]

I don’t really understand the connection between Marion’s sexual activity and experience and this case. AKA brought it up numerous times while on the witness stand, as if it was something that everybody would find shocking. Get with the modern world AKA! This kind of game may have worked on some people 30 years ago but these days, nobody cares.

Love this!

 

[Kie22]

I don’t really understand the connection between Marion’s sexual activity and experience and this case. AKA brought it up numerous times while on the witness stand, as if it was something that everybody would find shocking. Get with the modern world AKA! This kind of game may have worked on some people 30 years ago but these days, nobody cares.

He's from another era and it's his way of de-valuing and denigrating his victims. Horrible, nasty, vindictive old man. IMO.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

For sure, and we have to consider all possibilities , but let's put aside the outliers and all get across this:

It's either Marion (prompted or unprompted) (with/out visual disturbance) having an eye exam (and all that implies)

OR

An imposter proving proof of life.

Dates. Time. Location.

The RACQ cancellation and her visiting an optometrist could be seen as 'tidying up loose ends' before heading back overseas.

How convenient

She was back in Aus. She must have taken the money out herself.

Job done.

Yes. Very convenient indeed!

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I go back and forth on this too.
When the sleep test was done on one of the victims though I thought WHY would he need to know the outcome of that sort of test?
The length of time to undergo these tests, the liver tests, the sleep tests and also a couple of victims for the hair colour change, obviously not all on the SAME day, DOES provide time. And time is a valuable commodity for a lying thieving creep.
He would have needed hours to go through all of the victims things at their homes. And having the place to himself knowing they were at actual appointments would give him space and time to fossick for treasure, find documents, check computers, address books maybe, and whatever else.

It works on so many levels to hijack someone's time and also change their identity and way they look.
On a very literally level but also a psychological level - abusers begin to erode one's sense of self.

Also puts more steps between someone being identified because now they don't look like the person everyone would describe.

If he's been poisoning or drugging them anyhow, also getting the hair cut off and bleached with peroxide would block any potential hair strand tests. Plus as we have all said, spend a long amount of time in hairdressers.

Plus he then likes to build a narrative that the woman was acting strange or such because he literally hates women IMO.

Must be a strange thing to be Mr AKA's wife or daughter right now.

However, hairdressers chit chatter *a lot* about life and ask a lot of questions. So this works both ways - he's planting a memory of that woman being at that location in the hairdresser's memory -but- did he prep his victims with their false persona first? Maybe on the premise he works for some form of international security agency or such?

 

[Dr Poirot]

The only reasons I thought he may be a gambler was his mention of watching the GGs on TV and the fact he said (if you can believe anything he says) that he went to the South of France. The region he mentioned is prime casino country. His wife also did make the comment about him having no big wins. Incidentally Marion lived very close to a race track.

Anyone in his line of business is a natural gambler with the possibility of being caught at any moment by making an error or wrong judgement. You never know when a Policeman may come knocking on the door. Sadly in his case it took way too long.

I think a lot of people who are in the criminal world are addicted to the buzz of stealing, if you look at old fashioned bank robbers, they never seem to go straight despite huge amounts of stolen money. In terms of AH he has spent his life conning and stealing from men (certainly in the early days) and women…. I suspect there are many more victims out there ….

 

[VisitorDog]

I think definitively lost its focus - Ric Blum is not the case here really.
I think it is all about proving MB is dead so superannuation can be released to next of kin etc also there is money still in bank?
I have asked questions to help try and investigate and research this case but if the ones at the helm won’t answer simple questions then I see a huge flaw in the reasoning.
I asked
And if anyone knows the answers please let me know please

Was MB a smoker ?

How did the scar on her septum/nose happen?

What were her email addresses ? Current to 1997 and past emails

Had she had a hysterectomy?

Has she had a appendectomy?

Moles scars or ops identifying marks etc
Dentistry - I noticed her teeth were quite worn etc earlier then they look better later - implants or veneers or?

Ear piercings (just the one each ear or?) belly button ring at any time or any other piercings?

The nose scar or anomaly is important for me to know about / how did it come about ? And did it make her smile slightly lopsided - did it cause the two lines or ridges that go from nose to top lip go slightly off center -

Sorry so many questions but I think some of these can be easily answered ?? By family

Strange and uncomfortable focus on private medical details here. I’m almost surprised you’re not curious about her liver health.

 

[ruby925]

Whilst I have waivered on Marion returning to Australia, I keep returning to her last conversation with Sally, where she said she would be out of touch for a while..i still think this is because she was returning to Australia and didn't yet want SL to know, not because she was going on the Orient Express etc.

 

[Housemartyn]

Whilst I have waivered on Marion returning to Australia, I keep returning to her last conversation with Sally, where she said she would be out of touch for a while..i still think this is because she was returning to Australia and didn't yet want SL to know, not because she was going on the Orient Express etc.

Me too.

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Whilst I have waivered on Marion returning to Australia, I keep returning to her last conversation with Sally, where she said she would be out of touch for a while..i still think this is because she was returning to Australia and didn't yet want SL to know, not because she was going on the Orient Express etc.

Marion had intended going on the Orient Express on the 15 July 1997 according to her postcard home postmarked 7 July. Her phone call home (31 July) to Sally was where she said it had been cancelled. A later postcard was produced at the Inquest that gave a reason (the floods in Germany) and that it had been delayed until late Aug 1997.

This would allow her time to come back to Australia and fly out again. Those German floods which did happen came in mighty convenient, however the timeline never quite fitted as Germany was not properly affected by the Central European Floods until the 24 July after the date they should have departed on the Orient Express?

To me there is no way Marion was going to travel alone on the Orient Express. This was a ‘pleasure and experience’ to be shared. I very much doubt she booked any tickets herself assuming any tickets were ever booked. The precise date she gives might suggest they were booked even if he had no intention of using them.

Marion’s postcards are a tantalising glimpse into what was going on. I just hope a few more might come to light as Marion appeared to be a prolific writer of letters and postcards.

 

[M0nnyka]

I don’t really understand the connection between Marion’s sexual activity and experience and this case. AKA brought it up numerous times while on the witness stand, as if it was something that everybody would find shocking. Get with the modern world AKA! This kind of game may have worked on some people 30 years ago but these days, nobody cares.

I am more saying she was not a starry eyed younger person easily wooed by a man - she responded to ads to meet RB or vica versa - these ads in newspapers back then were the equivalent to dating sites of today and it must take a fair amount of confidence to reply band meet and start a relationship like this. Did RB allude to MB being promiscuous when on the stand? Can’t remember what he said about that.
Either way it takes moxy on behalf of the person to respond to those types of ads I would say - meeting a total stranger like that.

 

[M0nnyka]

Strange and uncomfortable focus on private medical details here. I’m almost surprised you’re not curious about her liver health.

Now that you say I am a bit interested in her liver health - I hope her test said it was ok - the strange and uncomfortable focus on her private medical details - I am working on the case with my assumption /belief that she is still alive / these medical and appearance questions identifying marks etc are for cross referencing if someone that could be her is found - she may have underwent some changes in appearance since 1997 but some scars etc cannot be changed. For example appendectomy scar - and all those types of things can help identify her.
I see that there was no doubt she wanted to disappear Of course the TLV and all have taken the more sinister road and have her dead already - I’m not convinced of that. I think there was a lot of planing involved.

 

[MrsWattle]

The only reasons I thought he may be a gambler was his mention of watching the GGs on TV and the fact he said (if you can believe anything he says) that he went to the South of France. The region he mentioned is prime casino country. His wife also did make the comment about him having no big wins. Incidentally Marion lived very close to a race track.

Anyone in his line of business is a natural gambler with the possibility of being caught at any moment by making an error or wrong judgement. You never know when a Policeman may come knocking on the door. Sadly in his case it took way too long.

Ballina, Armidale and Grafton also have horse race tracks.