Could Brett Collins Have Travelled Surreptitiously Or Incognito From Greece?

Started by Erik Narramore, January 31, 2022, 03:55:05 AM

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Erik Narramore

Supposing Jeremy is guilty, Brett may well have been mixed up in it all, and may even have been the mastermind behind it?  How can we be sure he really was physically in Greece?

I remember in those days I had a temporary passport made of cardboard from the Post Office with my photo glued on it.  Greece was a member of the EEC back then.  Border controls and paperwork were lax-to-nonexistent.  He could have travelled around undetected quite easily.

In any event, and whether Jeremy is innocent or guilty, I certainly take the view that Brett morally corrupted Jeremy from their acquaintance in New Zealand onwards.
"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Erik Narramore

Brett Collins corrupted Jeremy, I believe.

One possibility is that Jeremy is guilty and Brett was an accomplice - maybe even accomplice praesens, if he entered the country from Greece incognito - and Brett is now distancing himself from Jeremy, knowing that if Jeremy ever blows the gaff, he can then claim Jeremy is just incriminating him out of spite.
"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Erik Narramore

Brett could have easily either got a passport stamped to order or used a fake passport and had his genuine passport stamped properly on entry and exit.

Just as an aside, Greece entered the EEC in 1981.  I don't know what the situation was in southern Europe at that time, but what I can say is that even pre-Schengen, you could cross borders in western Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark) without any checks at all.  In the rare event there were checks, it was usually as difficult as buying a Mars bar.  In that regard, simply having gone to the trouble of having the bona fide passport stamped potentially could additionally be viewed as suspicious.  Why bother having it stamped?  Though it does depend on what the practice was at the Greek border.  To be fair, UK entrants at that time normally did have passports stamped at, say, Dover.

Is this just another example of a guilter celebrity who should have kept his mouth firmly shut but couldn't resist blabbing? 

Brett Collins mentions a New York attorney in a recent podcast who, he says, was his neighbour while in Greece and vouched for him to Essex Police.

Who was this New York lawyer? Was she a registered attorney in New York?  Did she live in New York city itself or somewhere upstate?  Did Essex Police make an Interpol inquiry request to the NYPD or other authorities in New York?  Was an Interpol inquiry raised with the Greek authorities, to ascertain title in this 'private property' and then interview the landlord, seize [that's seize, Steve, not heart seizure] the guest list/bookings list?

Did Essex Police actually just rely on his passport or did they actually visit and speak to the New York lawyer? 
"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Erik Narramore

Brett doesn't give the name of the New York lawyer who supposedly supported his alibi but the name was given to the police. 

"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Erik Narramore

I can't see any mention of the New York lawyer in there.  Why did Brett mention this in the podcast interview but not in his interview with the police 36 years ago when he needed the alibi?

Also, as I've mentioned before in regard to Brett, passports were very easy to fake in those days, especially among professional/organised criminals and people with close connections to such criminals.

My first passport was a piece of cardboard folded into four with my photo glued on it and all my details completed in pen by somebody from the Post Office.

As an aside, the interview transcript begins with a summary, which says "Discussed Passport issue etc. re the 1975 issued passport and other remarks in 1985".

Does that mean there was an issue with his passport or does it refer purely to the issue of his passport?  Probably the latter, but the main point is I'm curious to know if there is a record somewhere of the police making inquiries of a New York lawyer.  This would probably be done via the NYPD, to ensure she was verified correctly, and she would have been interviewed by the NYPD.
"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Zak Beresford

Brett Collins did state he had proof of his NZ passport putting him in Greece at the time. EP were satisfied of this.

In my personal View I don't think Collins had anything to do with this.

Believe he was one of life's chancers. Believe Collins was reasonably wealthy himself. Probably was happy to just leech off bamber for a short while and maybe share the spoils.

At the same time they both seemed to be good friends with one another. Jeremy seemed to think highly of Brett and vice versa

Zak Beresford

All of Jeremys friends and acquaintances seem to be people older than him. Talking back in the day

Erik Narramore

Quote from: Zak Beresford on November 20, 2022, 10:57:45 AMBrett Collins did state he had proof of his NZ passport putting him in Greece at the time. EP were satisfied of this.

But as I have said above, what exactly is it they were satisfied of?  I am not inclined just to accept what people say.  You have to check things. 

However, like you, I greatly doubt Brett was actually a present accomplice. 
"If the accusation is not proved beyond reasonable doubt against the man accused in the dock, then by law he is entitled to be acquitted, because that is the way our rules work.  It is no concession to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is entitled by law to a verdict of Not Guilty." - R v Adams

Zak Beresford

Quote from: Erik Narramore on November 22, 2022, 02:54:50 PM
Quote from: Zak Beresford on November 20, 2022, 10:57:45 AMBrett Collins did state he had proof of his NZ passport putting him in Greece at the time. EP were satisfied of this.

But as I have said above, what exactly is it they were satisfied of?  I am not inclined just to accept what people say.  You have to check things. 

However, like you, I greatly doubt Brett was actually a present accomplice.


Believe Collins stated he has his NZ passport with him