Another Crawfishing Witness in the Dianne Brimble Trial

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Jim Walker

The criminal trial arising from the death of P & O Cruises' passenger, Dianne Brimble, has now seen another witness suddenly forget incriminating details surrounding Ms. Brimble's death.

In a previous article, I commented on the phenomenon of "crawfishing" witness, who like crawfish crawling back into a hole, backpedal from the truth when placed under pressure. 

Today, the trial included another one of the "8 persons of interest," Letterio Silvestri.  ABC News in Australia reports that Mr. Silvestri could no longer remember his friend Mark Wilhelm having sex with Ms. Brimble in the cabin after she had been drugged.  Nor could Mr. Silvestri remember pushing Ms. Brimble off of the bed and onto the floor shortly before she died of a toxic mix of alcohol and GBH. This story was also reported by the Australian newspaper. 

This follows the spectacle of "gang of 8" witness Dragan Losic being unable to remember meeting Ms. Brimble or seeing her in the cabin or recalling date rape drugs on the cruise ship as he originally testified at a preliminary hearing. This is not to mention reluctant witness Matthew Slade, who originally  told police he saw a naked body in the cabin. But once under oath at trial he could not remember a thing.

What a bunch of crustaceans.   

 

Photo credit  -    AAP Image: Mick Tsikas, via ABC News Australia  

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Date Rape Drugs on Cruise Ships - the Death of Dianne Brimble

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Jim Walker

A criminal trial begins this week in Australia in the case of cruise passenger Dianne Brimble, a passenger sailing with her children on P & O Cruises’ Pacific Sky in 2002. It has been seven years since Ms. Brimble’s ill fated cruise which ended with her death. A coroner determined the cause of her demise to be a date rape drug given to her by another passenger, Mark Wilhelm, who is now finally standing trial for her death.

There is a danger on cruise ships of being given a date rape drug by either a crew member or another passenger.

There are a couple of different date rape drugs. One is called “GHB.” The scientific name is Gamma Hydroxybutyric acid. It is also be called “grievous bodily harm.” Another is Funitrazepam, called Rohypnol or commonly known as “roofies.” These drugs are clear, tasteless, and odorless - similar to water. When combined with alcohol the drug will incapacitate unsuspecting victims and cause slurred speech, sedation, unconsciousness and death. Even without alcohol, Rohypnol is ten times stronger than Valium. Rapists use these drugs to knock their victims out.

These drugs are readily available in foreign ports, particularly in Mexico. Crew members or passengers going ashore can easily obtain “roofies” or “GHB” and bring the drugs back to the cruise ship.  One of our clients was given a spiked drink by a bartender on a cruise ship returning from Mexico. Interviewed by Time magazine in an article entitled "Crime Rocks the Boats," she reported "her legs go rubbery and her mind turn to mush as the bartender led her to an employees-only restroom and raped her before she passed out cold."

If proper blood and urine testing is not performed in a timely manner after the rape, the drugs will not be detected. Cruise ships are notorious for having ill equipped medical facilities and incompetent or indifferent staff. It is important for passengers to use the same safeguards you would use in a bar ashore:

  • Ask bartenders or bar servers to open your beverages in front of you.
  • Watch your drinks.
  • Don’t leave your drinks unattended when you go on the dance floor or to the ladies room.
  • Stay with your group of friends.
  • Realize that crimes occur routinely on cruise ships.
  • Have fun - but don’t let your guard down.
  • If you are a victim of rape, insist that the ship doctor take blood and urine samples immediately.

Ms. Brimble’s family joined International Cruise Victims (“ICV”) organization to bring awareness to the problem of cruise ship crime. Mr. Brimble is the President of the ICV chapter in Australia. Information regarding Ms. Brimble is available on the ICV website.

 

Photo Credits:

International Cruise Victims - photo of Dianne Brimble

Tags: , , , , , , , ,