From The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey. We've loved bringing you insights from our journals around the nation and the world this year. Over this holiday break, we're revisiting some of our biggest and best episodes from a huge year in the news. This episode originally aired on March one, when New South Wales State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan handed down her findings in an inquest into the nineteen ninety seven disappearance of Queensland mother Marion Barter. It's hosted by our senior
reporter Matthew Condon. This is a case that's captivated the nation for years, and O'Sullivan said the possible involvement of fraudster Rick Bloom Warren's further investigation, directing the authorities to send the case to the homicide squad. The Front will return with all new episodes on Monday, January thirteen. Just hit follow or subscribe to hear the latest every morning.
Today, I'll be delivering my findings in the inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of Florabella Natalia Marion Ramical known as Marion Bart and who I'll be referring to as Marian that was New.
South Wales State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan. In a story that has more twists, turns and intrigue than a thriller novel. Coroner O'Sullivan's somber conclusions in a courtroom in Lidcombe in Sydney's West yesterday tied off some chapters in this painful saga, but left the door ajar for the hunt for Marion's killer.
First of all, I'd like to welcome Marion's family and friends who are joining us here in person or via the live stream today. I'd especially like to acknowledge Marion's daughter Sally Layden, and Marian's son in law Chris Leyden, and her grandchildren. My thoughts are with you today.
So here's a recap of one of the most remarkable and peculiar missing persons cases in this nation's criminal history. Marion Barta, once married to Australian's soccer great Johnny Warren, was a well loved teacher at the exclusive the Southport School on the Gold Coast, when in mid nineteen ninety seven, at aged fifty one, she abruptly resigned her position, sold her house and traveled overseas leading up to her trip An.
Unbeknown to friends and family, she had officially changed her name to the elaborate Flora Bella Natalia Marian Ramachel, Returning to Australia later in the year without contacting her loved ones, she made a series of large cash withdrawals from her bank account before she completely disappears. It took more than a decade before police began to seriously investigate the Barter mystery.
Good Morning Everyone, detecting Superintendent Danny Dolty, Commander Homicide Sport to State cron Command, a new South Wales government together in the New South Wales Police Force announced a two und fifty thousand dollar reward relating to the nineteen ninety seven disappearance of Marion Bart. Marion Barter was fifty one when she was last seen in Scarborough Street near Railway
Street at Southport in Queensland, at a bus step. In the week's leading up to her disappearance, Marion was seen with a tall male who was unknown to us and to her family.
Finally, a protracted inquest into the case began on June twenty one, twenty twenty one. It ended yesterday Well Coroner O'Sullivan found Marian's disappearance to be troubling. She was unequivocal about the missing teacher's fate.
I come now to the formal findings. As a result of having considered all of the documentary evidence, the oral evidence given at inquests and submissions, I find, on the balance of probabilities that Floribella Natalia Marion Ramical, formerly known as Marion Barter, is deceased.
A heartbreaking conclusion for the family and Marion's supporters who packed the Lidcom Court yesterday, but hardly unexpected. In late nineteen ninety seven, Marian's daughter Sally, officially reported her mother missing to Byron Bade Police. Catastrophically, police didn't deem Marian as missing, but in fact as a person not wanting to be found. Of this decision, the coroner was scathing.
I find that the nature and adequacy of the police investigation into the disappearance of Marian was not adequate.
But that was just the start of this labyrinth of a case. Thanks in part to an Australian podcast, The Lady Vanishers, Amateurs Sloths were unleashed on the investigation trying to piece together the Marion Barter mystery, and one of those sloths made a critical breakthrough linking Marion to a
Belgian born convicted conman by the name of Rick Blum. Blum, now in his eighties and based in Australia since the nineteen seventies, had a string of convictions for fraud and had in the past gone under at least fifty aliases. The inquest heard evidence from vulnerable women who had been deceived by Blum as it transpired in wild and perambulating evidence before the coroner. Blum confirmed that he had been in a relationship with Barta in the months before she disappeared.
He had also once used the alias Remachel, but he vehemently denied he had anything to do with her disappearance. In court, Blum denied he had suggested to Barter that she buy a school in the UK in order to persuade her to withdraw money from her bank account. He also strongly denied he had had any contact with bart after she'd returned to Australia from overseas in August nineteen ninety seven. The coroner, in her final findings, though ultimately expressed misgivings about Blum as a witness.
In short, I do not accept as accurate anything mister Bloom has said in evidence in the absence of independent corroborating evidence. She added mister Bloom's evidence in the final days of the inquest, when asked by counsel assisting, would you like to say anything further in relation to the disappearance of Marion Barter, was extraordinary. This evidence, along with his lies and deception throughout the inquest, has convinced me that he does indeed no more than he's saying.
Coroner O'Sullivan wasn't done with the enigma that was Rick Blum. Investigations by the Australians National Crime correspondent Dave Murray and others uncovered Blum's eye popping backstory as a globe trotting coin collector with a taste for fine hotels and champagne, also as a man accused of swindling unsuspecting widows of their money. Blum, who lives in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region, has called the accusations a pack of lies. The coroner concluded.
I make the following further findings regarding mister Bloom. Firstly, that he has further knowledge about the circumstances of Marian's travel overseas, Secondly, that he has further knowledge of his relationship with her in the months prior to her disappearance. Thirdly, that he has further knowledge of her circumstances following her return from overseas. Fourthly that he has further knowledge of
the withdrawals and transfer of her money. And finally, that there is a sufficient basis for a finding that he was and is deliberately unwilling to divulge this further knowledge to the court.
The coroner said any future action against Blum, be it for alleged perjury or giving false statements before the inquest, was up to prosecuting authorities to pursue if they so judged. As for New South Wales Police and the continued investigation into Marian Barter's whereabouts, coron O Sullivan was unequivocal.
I recommend that the New South Wales Commissioner of Police calls the investigation into the death of missing person Floribella Natalia Marian Ramakol, formerly known as Marion Barter, be referred to or to remain within the State Crime Command unsolved a homicide team for ongoing investigation, review and monitoring.
So the Barter case is not over by a long shot, or is it coming up? What this case has in common with other notorious Australian mysteries. While I've got you, I wanted to let you know. Subscribers can access more of this in depth reporting anytime at The Australian's website. Check us out at the Australian dot com dot au. We'll be back after this break. The Australians National Crime Correspondent Dave Murray worked extensively on the Marian Barter missing
person investigation. We spoke to him after the coroner's findings were delivered.
The coroner came back with some very significant findings. Firstly that Marion Barter is dead, that she is no longer alive, that she died some time after nineteen ninety seven, the year that she went missing. It's what her daughter, Sally Leyden,
has suspected for a long time. It's not something that's easy for her to accept, I think, but the longer and longer it's gone, all the milestones that have passed without any word or sign from her mother being alive, she was forced to come to that conclusion.
Dave wasn't convinced that the inquest would have satisfactorily served the Barter family. Only time would tell.
But you have to wonder what's actually going to happen with this case. How are they going to take it for because it becomes just one more of however many unsolved cases that the homicide squad will periodically come back to and have a look at, and unless there's some kind of major development, it goes back and gathers dust again and there's no answers and Sally Layden has left without any resolution. It's completely unacceptable for that to happen.
There are avenues to pursue this case further, and I think our police forces owe it to Sally Layden to be doing everything they can to solve this case because there has just been so many stuff ups along the way. And no one should accept.
That Marion's daughter, Sally a tireless advocate for the truth about her mother the coroner's court yesterday without talking to reporters. But the final words of Coroner O'Sullivan must have been ringing in her ears.
It's fitting to end with the words shared by Sally to the court, reading from the family statement, the statement in which she described Marian as a kind, caring, soul with a wicked laugh. She was intelligent, she was cultured, and she had so many friends who loved her and miss her still. She would always bring you flowers or a cake. She was a very generous human. I close this inquest.
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