Chapter 44 - The Inquest
Anne returned from a New Year’s holiday at David’s family home to Darwin in late January for a formal inquest into the disappearance and possible death of five girls, Elin, Isabelle, Amanda, Cathy and Susan.
While Susan’s disappearance had no connection to the others in Mark being the person likely to be responsible, yet Susan was still inextricably part of the whole story, her life having run a very parallel course.
After some preliminary argument and counter-argument the coroner agreed that Susan also be a subject of consideration of this inquest, if only to more clearly establish her role in the other disappearances and lay to rest some of the malicious rumours circulating that she was part of some grand plot, rather than just another victim, even if after the event.
Neither her parents nor Anne had any objection to Susan being a person under consideration, their only interest was to find anything further that may lead to her or allow an understanding of what had happened to her.
The judge also named an unknown further person of interest who may also have become deceased while in the company of Vincent Mark Bassingham. This person was of unknown identity and, for the purpose of the proceedings was only known as J, as this was the only clear evidence of identity within the diary. No one had come forward to give a possible identity of this unknown person so, in evidence, J she remained. Still in the media and peoples’ conversation she soon became known as Josie. It gave her a human face, perhaps it was her real first name.
The judge ruled that J was not a formal subject of the inquiry but rather a person about whom the court was seeking to establish facts which may lead to an identity and subsequent investigation.
On a steamy wet season day in Darwin the inquest got underway, the lawyers, police and witnesses moving quickly from their air conditioned cars to courtroom coolness, while the media scrum sweated out in the sun hoping for sensational shots of the main characters coming and going.
The coroner called all to order. There were two main lines of evidence for the inquiry. The first was the police investigation led by Alan for the NT Police. The second was the evidence of the diary, provided jointly by Anne, Alan and a psychologist who sought to establish some key facts about its author including his mental state, history and personality type. The diary’s accuracy was also evaluated on the basis of internal consistency and other known history of Mr Bassingham.
The police evidence was led off with Alan taking the stand, supported by many others, working through what the police had discovered. Alan described how the investigation initially discovered the metal box with the passports and then how the police had then established the identity of the four girls whose passports were found. He showed, in photographs, the former hiding place of the metal box in the vehicle of Vincent Bassingham, also known by his various aliases, then described the evidence leading to a connection between him and these missing persons.
Various police officers then gave evidence as to how they had investigated the identity of each of the four girls and how, at the time when the passports were found, all the girls were considered missing persons but without any specific evidence as to their fate. The police described how they contacted the parents and others who knew each girl and obtained statements about their knowledge of the circumstances preceding each disappearance.
All the parents and many of the friends were in court to corroborate this testimony. It established last known places of residence and intended travel plans of each girl, though it was clear that such knowledge in each case was very limited and fragmentary.
The coroner was heard to remark that these girls seemed to typify many backpackers who came to Australia, with only a vague knowledge of where they were going and what they would do.
The police then outlined their other lines of inquiry to find last known locations of each girl. This placed Elin’s last known location at Birdsville in the company of Vincent Bassingham, otherwise known as Mark Brooks, on the basis of evidence of the landlord of the Birdsville Hotel. Isabelle’s last known location was at Derby, where it was confirmed she stayed the night in a room in her own name but in the company of Vincent Bassingham, yet again with an alias of Mark Brooks. It established that Amanda’s last known location was at the Emerald Hotel, where she had shared a room with Vincent Bassingham, now with the alias of Mark Brown. For Cathy it established the last known location as the private residence of Nikko and Athena Christos, where she also shared a room with Vincent Bassingham, who they knew as Mark Bennet.
Thus, all parties agreed that Vincent Bassingham, in various aliases, was the last person known to be in the company of all these girls and that all had appeared to travel willingly with him at that point.
The evidence then moved to Anne who described first the transcript of Susan as captured on tape. Short excerpts of the tape were played to confirm the veracity of some parts and a full transcript provided to the coroner. Anne led them through a summarised version of this tape describing its key events from Susan first meeting Mark on the Barrier Reef to travelling with him from Alice Springs to the Top End of the NT.
She told of the succession of discoveries Susan made, beginning with the multiple number plates, then the metal box with the passports and the multiple identities of Vincent Bassingham, the various Mark Bs, then of the text she sent and its reply. Finally she told of the events from Mark’s discovery about the texts, Susan’s captivity and coming to the billabong of the crocodiles, then of the final night and the next day. As she worked her way through this story she could see journalists running in an out of the court room, capturing ever more details, many horrific, as this story was finally revealed and rushing to tell their various media outlets.
It surprised her that this story, which she carried in such detail inside her head, was as largely unknown to the outside world. Of course, while the police had released some parts, it had never been told as a coherent whole until this day of her testimony.
Anne then described the verbal story, as passed on to Susan by Mark, that he admitted to killing some of these girls, particularly one whose story matched that of Amanda.
Her next evidence was to be about the information within the diary. However, before she was called to give this, the psychologist, who had also investigated the contents of the diary, so as to appraise the mental state of its author, was called.
He said he had formed the view that the diary was mostly a credible and accurate document, which predominantly showed its author was a rational and lucid person, though it increasingly showed evidence of anti-social and psychotic behaviours in its later parts.
He also explained that it included parts of creative writing and poetry which were, in some instances, apparently fictitious. He said that in many cases it was difficult to distinguish between parts giving true information and fictional parts. However his overall assessment was the diary of one Vincent Mark Bassingham, who called himself Mark B should be generally treated as providing an accurate description of the facts it recorded.
The police were also questioned about their investigations into the diary’s veracity and confirmed that, in places where information allowed, they had been able to verify many specific facts.
Anne was then recalled to continue her telling of her discoveries of the fate of these girls from the diary records, later corroborated by other sources, particularly the various girls’ parents.
She told the judge that with his permission she would use the name Mark to describe this man as that was his identity within the diary and also the name he was known by to all the girls. She explained how she had read the full diary document through several times and had begun by cross referencing the parts which told of Susan with the descriptions Susan had given of the same events. This had helped her to familiarise herself with Mark’s writing style and also give her a sense of the veracity of his descriptions. It also helped her differentiate between factual and creative components.
Overall
she said she had found close corroboration between Susan’s story and the diary records, though she noted that Susan’s story was more comprehensive and complete for the parts she knew.
She then began giving the substance of the diary records made of Elin, which described the period after they left Birdsville and travelled into a remote part of south western Queensland where they had spent about a week removing opals from an abandoned mine shaft until its collapse led to Elin’s death. She told how Mark described this event, in apparent anguish. He told of his attempted rescue and how he buried her alongside a nearby billabong, marking the grave site with rocks placed to outline the boat he buried her in, following the custom of her Viking ancestors.
The police corroborated the account of the diary and confirmed there were innumerable abandoned mine shafts in this part of Queensland, which had an estimated area of about 100,000 square kilometres. They said to date it had proved impossible to locate the site of the mine or the grave though searches were continuing, mainly using satellite images.
Anne then told of her visit to Sweden and described how this burial site matched the form of burial of Elin’s own mother, providing a further and independent source of corroboration for the diary account.
From there the coroner moved to examining the circumstances of Isabelle’s disappearance. Anne took them through the key points of the diary account, in this case the joint handwriting of both Isabelle and Mark with Isabelle’s French annotations now translated and confirmed as being in her handwriting by her parents and other experts. She then spoke of how Mark wrote of her fall from the cliff into the water below, surrounded by large crocodiles, and how he said he had shot her in the head with his rifle in the final seconds to alleviate her suffering.
There was audible gasp of surprise from the press gallery at this revelation and Isabelle’s parents covered their faces in pain as it was recounted. The judge admitted these facts were deeply distressing to all parties and called a recess. After the recess the police advised they had searched for the location of Isabelle’s demise without success, but as there were hundreds of kilometres of coast in this area it was another needle in a haystack.
Next came the story of the unknown J. Anne gave her account based on reconstruction of the events within the diary. The police confirmed that Mark owned a flat in Katherine which fitted the description of the time spent there. They also confirmed the visit of Mark and a girl at around this time to Rosewood Station though the girl’s name was not remembered. They had also located a track and billabong matching the diary description of the final site where they were together. However they had been unable to locate any evidence of their occupation of the former camp site. In relation to the identity of J they had been unable to find any leads, and the area where it was claimed she was buried was so vast as to be impossible to even begin a search. They confirmed the account of the barman in the Top Springs Hotel of an altercation taking place between Mr Bassingham and another patron which led to this man being severely beaten, needing prolonged hospital treatment for a ruptured liver. The man himself had been located but he refused to provide further evidence.
Now came the story of Amanda and again Anne led them through the diary account, corroborated by evidence from her parents. The professor, who voluntarily attended the inquest of his own accord, provided details of their past relationship. Parts of the Amanda story were corroborated by Susan’s tape transcript, which was played alongside. Of the mine shaft holding her body the police again indicated the potential area was so vast they did not know where to begin to search, in a similar way to the burial sight of Elin. They speculated that both could be in the same region.
At last they came to Cathy. Her presence in Adelaide was confirmed by her parents from her letter and by the backpacker hostel. Her presence in Wilpaena Pound and Coober Pedy was confirmed by witnesses who agreed with the diary account. But then there was nothing further, other than an enigmatic poem to explain her vanishing or her absence.
The coroner sought Anne’s opinion about her likely fate. Anne asked to speak to the coroner and counsel in private, with only Alan present. Anne took them through the abuse allegations about her uncle from the diary, as described by Mark.
Anne asked that these not be disclosed as she thought it remained most likely that Cathy had vanished to escape from her uncle and, if she was alive, she clearly did not want these allegations publicly aired causing her parents further distress. Alan advised that the police had passed these allegations on to Scotland Yard for their own investigation. He considered public disclosure at this stage would be prejudicial to this investigation.
So the coroner agree to withhold this evidence from public release and Anne was glad, it was a small service she could do to this girl, she was as much a victim as the others, even if still alive.
So that was that, the story of the diary and the best information they knew about the fate of five girls.
The coroner then turned to the disappearance of Susan, establishing the sequence of events beginning with her release from jail, then of the days she spent with Vic at Alan’s flat and the final day at the hospital, with her departure captured on a hospital lobby camera just after eight o’clock in the evening. The there was a final likely sighting of her taking a lift south at Berrimah. They explained the role which the media articles appeared to have played in her disappearance that night, then of the discovery of the sandals she had been wearing near the billabong. They told of the fruitless search since, the public appeal for information and the various unlikely sightings which had been made since. This was a story in which Anne had little role, mainly told by Vic and Alan who were both visibly distressed in the telling.
After two weeks of evidence and innumerable witnesses the coroner retired to consider the facts and write his findings. A month later the court resumed for the coroner’s verdict. He called the court to order and began to read. Anne scribbled his spoken findings down on a legal notepad, not trusting her mind to keep track without this written record.
I find that Elin Nordquist met her death by misadventure resulting from the collapse of an abandoned mine shaft in an unknown location in South Western Queensland. I find Vincent Bassingham had no direct role in her death but may have had an indirect role though encouraging Ms Nordquist to assist him in the excavation of a dangerous mine shaft.
I find that Isabelle Rollande met her death by being shot in the head by Mr Vincent Basssingham. While there are extenuating circumstances such death constitutes murder under the Northern Territory and Western Australian Criminal Codes. However as Mr Bassingham is also deceased no further action for this event can be taken
I find that Amanda Parker met her death by a blow delivered by Mr Bassingham. However, as there is testimony that Ms Parker was attacking him with a knife there is no basis for any finding beyond self defence for Mr Bassingham’s role in her death.
I find that there is insufficient evidence to rule on the likely fate of either Fiona Rodgers or Susan McDonald though I express serious concerns about the fate of both girls. I encourage police to continue investigating both disappearances.
In addition I find a likely case of murder exists by Mr Bassingham against the unknown person, J. However in the absence of evidence of her identity I am unable to make any further finding. As Mr Bassingham is now deceased, a murder charge is unable to be sustained. However I encourage the police to continue to search for the identity of this person as, should this be established, it is likely that closure could be brought to the case of this missing, even “lost” girl.
I commend the NT Police and Ms Anne Smithfield for the extraordinary work they have done in investigating and bringing closure to many parts of this tragic investigation.
I convey my profound sympathy to the parents and the many friends of these missing girls, whose fate may never be fully known.
Lost Girl Diary Page 48