Marion Barter inquests enters sixth day in Ballina Local Court

Multiple name changes and mystery trips overseas didn’t spur the curiosity of a woman whose husband had been jailed previously for fraud, an inquest has heard.

Multiple name changes and mystery trips overseas didn’t spur the curiosity of a woman whose husband had been jailed previously for fraud, an inquest into missing Gold Coast mother Marion Barter has heard.

The Southport schoolteacher and ex-wife of Australian soccer great Johnny Warren was last seen by her family in June 1997, days before she flew overseas for what was meant to be a year-long holiday in the UK and Europe.

In August 1997, with her name changed to Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel, Ms Barter flew back into Australia but her family never heard from her again.

The disappearance inquest in Ballina has largely focused on her purported secret lover Ric Blum who the inquest has heard allegedly scammed several women across Sydney and the North Coast.

The inquest has previously heard Mr Blum denies any allegations of scamming.

Ric Blum’s wife Diane De Hedervary gave evidence on Tuesday, detailing how much she knew about her husband’s extramarital and allegedly duplicitous deeds.

When asked about her husband’s fraudulent past, disclosed by Mr Blum in a police interview, Ms De Hedervary said she knew he had bounced cheques but that was all.

The inquest heard Mr Blum had been convicted in 1971 for fraud in France and sent to jail for three years.

“It may sound stupid but I didn’t really know he had that much fraud in his life,” she said.

The court heard NSW Police had linked 30 aliases to Ric Blum, both nationally and internationally, and 10 passports with eight different names issued to Mr Blum.

During their 46 year marriage, Mr Blum would regularly change names with little explanation, the court heard.

Ms De Hedervary said she trusted her husband, who told her her it was legal, when asked why she “blindly accepted” the peculiar move by counsel assisting Adam Casselden SC.

She said herself and their children did not undergo any name changes.

“In the end, I just thought he had a thing about changing names,” she said.

“I didn't think he was doing it for anything illegal.”

The court heard during Mr Blum’s alleged travels throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ms De Hedervary mostly stayed home, assuming Mr Blum, who was the recipient of an invalid pension, afforded the trips with help from his family overseas.

Ms De Hedervary said her husband had discussed a brief affair with Ms Barter in Queensland following police investigation but did not know about her disappearance.

She said she didn’t ask her husband many questions.

“Obviously I was upset, how do you think I felt?” Ms De Hedervary said.

“It wasn’t very nice for me.”

Ms De Hedervary also said she did not know until Tuesday of Mr Blum’s alleged affair with Monique Cornelius (the ex-wife of Fernand Remakel), Janet Oldenburg or the tea chests Ms Barter had been storing at the couple’s Wollongbar home.

Ms Casselden told Ms De Hedervary this would conflict with an interview in which Mr Blum told police his wife had likely seen the tea chests and that the last time he saw Ms Barter was when she was dropping off the furniture.

“Can you see the tension in the evidence is that your husband has told you the last time he was with Marion Barter was in Queensland yet he has told police the last time he was with Marion Barter was in NSW in Wollongbar?” he asked.

“I didn’t know she was there at all,” Ms De Hedervary told the court.

The inquest will continue at Ballina Local Court on Wednesday where Mr Blum will give evidence.

The court has previously been told Mr Blum denied speaking to Ms Barter when she returned from Australia.