Brimble witness flees to Serbia

[Kiwi]

Brimble witness flees to Serbia


James Madden | January 12, 2008

ONE of the men named at the inquest into the death of cruise ship passenger Dianne Brimble has fled the country, leaving Australia on a one-way ticket to Serbia last month.

Petar Pantic, 30, was due to appear in an Adelaide court yesterday on charges of importing explicit DVDs into Australia.

Pantic is one of eight "persons of interest" named in relation to Brimble's death on board a P&O cruise ship in 2002.

Last year, NSW Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge referred the matter to the DPP after an inquest that lasted 15 months.

Adelaide Magistrates Court was told yesterday that the Customs charges were laid against Mr Pantic when he arrived in Australia after a trip to Singapore last September.

It is alleged that Mr Pantic failed to declare six pornographic DVDs.

Prosecutor Rosie Sidey told the court the summons had not been served on Pantic because he had left Australia on a one-way ticket to Serbia last month.

If found guilty of the Customs charges, he could be fined $22,000.

A new summons will be issued if and when he returns.

The NSW Director of Public Prosecutions is still considering the coroner's recommendation in relation to Brimble's death.

Adelaide men Mark Wilhelm, Leo Silvestri, Ryan Kuchel and Matthew Slade shared cabin D182 where Brimble died, while the rest of their party -- Dragan Losic, Mr Pantic, Luigi Vitale and Charlie Kambouris -- shared a second cabin nearby.

The inquest was told Mr Wilhelm had sex with Brimble in his cabin after giving her the drug fantasy on the night of her death in September 2002.

Additional reporting: AAP