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Glenn Pears—was discovered inside Seascape, not inside the BMW, suggesting that the gunman had freed him from the boot of the BMW and escorted him into the house. Third, the burns to Bryant's body were in reality sustained the next day during the Seascape fire. (He emerged from Seascape on the morning of 29 April 1996 with his back in flames.)* In short, although Bryant's story constitutes an admission of criminal acts, it does not add up to an admission of responsibility for any events that actually took place that day. Damian Bugg, QC, was therefore misleading the Court when, on 19 November 1996, he declared that "Jamie"—who he assumed to have been Bryant—had admitted stealing the Nixons' BMW and taking Glenn Pears hostage. In fact, "Jamie", as we've seen, had only related a parallel event involving "Rick" from Florida. Bryant did no more than "confess" to the same episode. Warren: ...at Port Arthur on that particular day? Second, the Volvo: Warren: We have lots of people who are telling us that they saw you at Port Arthur and your car. Bryant: Well, it must've been another, there's other Volvos... Warren: With surfboards on the top? With someone with long blonde hair driving them or getting out of them? Bryant: There's not many with surfboards on top. As we shall see below, these concessions left Bryant little wiggle room when police confronted him with a photograph of what seemed to be his yellow Volvo parked at Port Arthur. Once they had succeeded in having Bryant admit the distinctiveness of his appearance and that of his Volvo, Inspectors Paine and Warren had to do one more thing before they could confront him with the accusation that he had perpetrated the massacre inside the Broad Arrow Café: they had to convince him that he had entered the PAHS that day. Bryant's distinctive appearance and vehicle Arrow Café: they had to convince him that he had entered the When his police interrogation began, the only significant PAHS that day. information Bryant knew about the ’ events of 28-29 April is that Seascape had burned down and a number of people had perished in the fire. He said he obtained the information not from Inspectors Paine and Warren (who seem to have been surprised to learn that he knew this), but from "a doctor, and security guards". What few Australians know is that Bryant was saddened to hear about Seascape's destruction and expressed sorrow for the Martins’ loss. "Worked hard all their lives, price of admission. renovating; took them years to Bryant: Umm, I don't build it, renovate it and to start it Photograph of the yellow Volvo abandoned by the gunman — remember going in, into Port To do so, Warren confronted Bryant with generalised references to eyewitness sightings of himself which he was ill-placed to contest, having already conceded the distinctiveness of his appearance and of his Volvo: Warren: Well, what would you say if I told you that you were seen going into Port Arthur and in fact you were at the toll gate? Bryant: I couldn't've been. Warren: And more than that, that you did complain about the all up, and it's just so sad to see; near the PAHS toll booth as he exited the site. Arthur or going through the toll apparently it's burnt down, it's so sad to see it burnt down," he gate at all. lamented. Warren: Well, as you said a minute ago, you, your description Before we recount the process by which Bryant was first made __ of the long blonde hair does make you, umm, stand out from the aware of his alleged responsibility for the Port Arthur massacre, it crowd. is necessary to remind the reader once again that neither forensic Bryant: Mmm, exactly. nor eyewitness evidence exists to link him to it. The case against Warren: What about your yellow Volvo? im depends entirely upon two circumstantial factors: the Bryant: That would, wouldn't it? That would stand out. distinctiveness of his personal appearance and that of his 1979- model yellow Volvo. The police framing of Bryant for the Later in the interview, Warren showed him a photograph of a massacre therefore included obtaining concessions from him as to —_ vehicle that Bryant conceded looked like his own Volvo: the distinctiveness of his appearance and that of his Volvo. Warren: Martin, I want you to have a look at this photo. It's The matter of his appearance was raised spontaneously by photo number zero one one two. In it is a car I believe to be yours Bryant himself, but was instantly capitalised upon by Inspector _and it's depicted adjacent to the toll booth. Warren, who deviously connected it to "Port Arthur", even though Bryant: Couldn't be mine. Where'd you get that? I don't Bryant hadn't mentioned that location himself: remember being stationary [inaudible]... Warren: Martin, getting back to that point about the hostage, Warren: Do you agree that that could be a surfboard on the you taking the hostage because you didn't want him telling the top? police. What didn't you want him telling the police? Bryant: Yes, I think it probably is. Bryant: That I took his, umm, car. Warren: And it's certainly similar to your, ahh, your car? Warren: But I mean, if you'd have left him on the side of the Bryant: Mmm. road, he wouldn't have known where you could've driven. Warren: The registration number of this vehicle I think is CG Bryant: Yeah, but he could've let them know that there wasa _ two eight three five. chap with blonde [sic] hair, took me car, stole me car. So I sort of Bryant: I don't remember the registration. put him in the boot to be safe. Warren: Well that's your car. So that certainly suggests it Warren: So you thought your looks that day were distinctive, because that's the exit road at the toll booth, that your car had been. and if someone said they saw a chap with blonde hair... Bryant: How could the car be there when I didn't go, go there Bryant: Mmm. in the first place [inaudible]...? gate at all. Warren: Well, as you said a minute ago, you, your description of the long blonde hair does make you, umm, stand out from the crowd. Bryant: Mmm, exactly. Warren: What about your yellow Volvo? Bryant: That would, wouldn't it? That would stand out. Later in the interview, Warren showed him a photograph of a vehicle that Bryant conceded looked like his own Volvo: Warren: Martin, I want you to have a look at this photo. It's photo number zero one one two. In it is a car I believe to be yours and it's depicted adjacent to the toll booth. Bryant: Couldn't be mine. Where'd you get that? I don't remember being stationary [inaudible]... Warren: Do you agree that that could be a surfboard on the top? Bryant: Yes, I think it probably is. Warren: And it's certainly similar to your, ahh, your car? Bryant: Mmm. Warren: The registration number of this vehicle I think is CG two eight three five. Bryant: I don't remember the registration. Warren: Well that's your car. So that certainly suggests it because that's the exit road at the toll booth, that your car had been. Bryant: How could the car be there when I didn't go, go there in the first place [inaudible]...? NEXUS + 17 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com