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Sick dinner an insult to Dianne Brimble’s memory

David Penberthy

by David Penberthy

10 Oct 05:55am

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Filed under: Brimble Inquest, Dianne Brimble, Drugs, Women

33 comments

She was the mother of three children, a pretty young woman described by her family, her friends and her still-loving former husband as a very moral person who did not approve of drug abuse or casual sex.

Holiday from hell: The Brimble Eight. Photo supplied

To the eight men on that P&O cruise ship, she was the bitch who ruined their holiday.

The woman they briefly considered throwing overboard as she lay dead on the floor of a tiny cabin, having been plied with alcohol and the so-called party drug GHB, naked, humiliated, used, with no control of her faculties. Dead at the age of 42.

The death of Dianne Brimble on board the Pacific Star in 2002 represents something of a high point of the evil which men can do.

The best thing you can say about any of the eight men at the centre of this horrible story is that they found themselves at the centre of situation which was ultimately beyond their control – hooking up with men they barely knew, ephemeral holiday friends, whose subsequent conduct would make criminals of them all in the court of public opinion.

But if that generous assessment is truly the case, you have to ask the following question.

Why would any of these eight men choose to remain in touch at all? Worse, why would they venture out in public for a crass celebratory dinner?

Their brazen actions suggests that these men feel no shame at all, and probably even a sense of victimhood and martyrdom at what they have apparently been through as a result of the Brimble affair.

It’s a sickening brand of audacity. They are free to live their lives. That they choose to live them in this way, almost eight years to the day on which Dianne Brimble lost hers, shows they are bereft of any capacity for self-examination and remorse.

Most commented

33 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • @richardtuffin says:

      06:08am | 10/10/10

      Thanks for drawing our attention to this David - to say the least, it’s a bit of a worry!

      Reply

    • mary wide bay says:

      06:20am | 10/10/10

      The courts didn’t, but at least this article brings a little justice to Dianne and her family.

      Reply

    • Tom says:

      05:41pm | 11/10/10

      @ Mary, those men were found not guilty by a court of law. Or, are you trying to introduce a Malleus Maleficarum for persecuting males? Leave them alone.

    • Mark says:

      08:11pm | 11/02/11

      Tom, read the coronial findings.

      Im sure you will be rid of any sense of remorse for these men.

      Well said Mary

    • Wayne Fehlhaber says:

      07:55am | 10/10/10

      The law is an ass. !

      Reply

    • Rock Bottom says:

      08:05am | 10/10/10

      These men need a lobotomy - nothing more to be said.

      Reply

    • Justin says:

      08:23am | 10/10/10

      Are you going to finish this article? It reads like GPS instructions that lead you to a dead end street.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      09:29am | 10/10/10

      Maybe they’re having dinner together because no one else wants to be within a country mile of these low-life losers.  I hope that’s it, anyway.

      Reply

    • WhatThe? says:

      10:17am | 10/10/10

      I am struggling to determine the intention of this article. Must this family (of Dianne Brimble) be exposed by the media again? I assume that they are trying to move on with their lives and remember their mother for the lady that she was but here we are 8 years later, the humiliating circumstances of her death headline news again. Why - so you can later link this story to some footy players? Why? Certainly is a slow news week.

      RIP Dianne Brimble.

      Reply

    • Kaz says:

      10:22am | 10/10/10

      Fortunately for these guys it is not a criminal offence to be a narcissistic, egotistical, arrogant fool with a brain the size of a pea. 
      As such, moral cowards like this will always exist in our society.
      Most of us should just hope and pray our daughters, nieces and sisters never have the misfortune to meet such creeps.

      Reply

    • Anjuli says:

      10:45am | 10/10/10

      I hope the saying ‘What goes around” comes true sooner than later for these animals.

      Reply

    • Rod says:

      10:48am | 10/10/10

      I don’t condone the actions of these men on the P&O cruise one little bit, but how can you so brazenly assert their get together was a “crass celebratory dinner” and that their “brazen actions” were anything more than a meeting of friends? Presumptions are dangerous things when you’re supposed to be reporting the facts as a journalist and there is no way you can know why they had dinner together. Why not just let everyone involved in this awful mess get on with their lives and leave them alone?

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      11:10am | 10/10/10

      Human filth. Nothing more to be said really.

      Reply

    • nosthow says:

      11:15am | 10/10/10

      Thanks for bringing that to our attention Penbo. How utterly disgusting that these men would even wnat to phone each other let alone go on a holiday together ! Just disgraceful and what creeps these men are !

      Reply

    • Chris says:

      11:21am | 10/10/10

      The media, of course, has been enjoying a party at the expense of the men for eight years now, and don’t want it to end.

      Were their actions distasteful? Assuredly. But we don’t know anything else about their lives. Maybe some have taken long, hard looks at themselves and changed. It’s been thoroughly investigated as to whether they’ve committed offences and found that they haven’t. Any moral failings have been thoroughly and completely excoriated, exhumed and regurgitated by the media endless amounts of times. Now the media are tracking them down at restaurants to sell newspapers and try and curry up some outrage.

      Shame on the media, as well as the men.

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      08:13pm | 11/02/11

      Read the cornoial findings chris…..

      It is a very grim picture and remains in the media spotlight due to the legnth of investigation and inquiry.

    • CJ says:

      12:23pm | 10/10/10

      The story, as reported in the Telegraph, is nothing but shoddy, knee-jerk journalism; it reads like something out of a comic book or a parody. Here are some gems from the story:
      “Early in the night, they enjoyed gin and tonics at the bar before having wine brought to their tables. Kambouris made several trips to the bar during dinner, returning to the table with spirits mixed with coke.” (Wow—what earth-shattering insight. People went to and from the bar. With drinks. Good God!)
      “The camaraderie among the men, as if they had one another’s backs, was evident.” (“as if they had one another’s backs”? Oh, come on. This is comical)
      “Repeated attempts were made to contact Kambouris, Losic, Pantic and Vitale, but they did not return phone calls.” (What, you mean they didn’t play along with some over-zealous smart-arse journo from the Tele? Oh, dear. Boo-hoo.)
      Remember that none of the eight were convicted of causing Brimble’s death, only with supplying drugs and concealing a crime (bad enough, I agree, but not causing death). At least two of the eight had nothing to do with it, and were genuinely in the wrong place. Guilt by association. Guilt by the trash media. In this country we have a concept called “rule of law”—a concept foreign to most readers around here. If you’re not guilty in court, then you’re not guilty. Yes, they were probably stupid and immoral, but hounding innocent people while they dine and then coming up with a rubbish non-story is also stupid and immoral.

      Reply

    • Tim says:

      10:19am | 11/10/10

      @At Work,
      of course we all know that women and especially mothers are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.
      It’s incomprehensible that she actually chose to drink to excess, take drugs and have sex with strangers isn’t it?
      They must be guilty right? it’s just the vibe of the thing.
      Don’t worry about little things like evidence or innocent until proven guilty.

      I’m glad that people like you aren’t in charge of the laws of our country.

    • Craig says:

      04:47pm | 12/10/10

      This post summarises my views better than I could have.  Thanks!

    • Peter says:

      12:29pm | 10/10/10

      And the point of this article is???  So what if the lowlifes go our for a feed.

      Reply

    • Sam Spade says:

      01:36pm | 10/10/10

      To all of the “Brimble Eight”.  The people of this country know who you are, we know your names, and we know what you did - and we will never forget. Enjoy the rest of your life as pariahs.

      Reply

    • Jonnhy says:

      01:37pm | 10/10/10

      These guys were actually guilty of nothing and are moving on with their lives.  I doubt they celebrating Diane’s death.  Should they sit at home on this day eaach year for the rest of their lives?  What went on in that cabin would be nothing different to what was going on in dozens of other cabins on board, only sadly a woman died in this instance. Those cruise ships are big booze, drug and sex fests and everyone going on them knows what they are in for (that’s why they go) and most of them (guys and gals) are bogan yobbos.  Sadly, many people get hurt physically and emotionally and end up regretting their actions and behaviour on board. When you life fast and party hard you’ll always risk a short life.

      Reply

    • Heléna says:

      02:36pm | 10/10/10

      agreed smile and so did the courts

      now can we please leave the whole sorry story behind - and let the family of Dianne Brimble and these men move on with ther lives

    • Tim says:

      01:58pm | 10/10/10

      what a massive beat-up.
      And coming up next on the news - men have dinner. Wow.
      Maybe you didnt realise David but even the couple of men that were charged of her manslaughter were found not guilty.
      These guys may be jerks but last time i looked that wasn’t illegal.
      Diane Brimble chose to drink that night and chose to take drugs. The only person responsible for her death was Diane Brimble.

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      02:04pm | 10/10/10

      I thought we lived in a democratic society? 
      Of free association? 
      Were they supposed to go their seperate ways to satisfy the media?
      Does this standard apply to all criminals?

      Reply

    • jp says:

      02:16pm | 10/10/10

      Don’t be fooled into thinking these cowards live a celebrated life.  At the end of the day, when they’re alone left to their own thoughts, they realise how much of a loser they are.  Deep inside they are very unhappy, living a souless life. 

      Maybe our courts let them free, but I guarantee their everyday life is a nothing but a dark hole.

      Reply

    • Jeff says:

      02:17pm | 10/10/10

      Another sensational baseless spin article on this matter.

      Reply

    • Miss Unpopular says:

      02:31pm | 10/10/10

      I know this will be an upopular comment but seeing as they were not charged or jailed for murder/manslaughter they ARE INNOCENT, no matter what the moral police choose to think of their activities.  Did you want them to send people who have been found innocent to jail? And if I was innocent and accused of a crime, and freed rather than being sent to jail for it, I think I would be celebrating too. They are innocent men according to our legal system and you should not be throwing this back in their faces.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      06:13pm | 10/10/10

      They were found not guilty of manslaughter, and I would have to agree that the courts were right.  Innocent in the eyes of the law, no question.  But they’re still scumbags who behaved appallingly - that may not warrant a criminal judgment, but I have no difficulty with the moral judgment their behaviour warrants.

    • Reg says:

      04:57pm | 10/10/10

      A disgrace to their mothers and their upbringing, the lot of them.

      Reply

    • Carl Palmer says:

      06:10pm | 10/10/10

      When it happened I thought they were evil. Nothing that I have heard or seen since has changed my mind. They remain evil to the core and I truly feel sad for anyone who has any contact with them directly or indirectly.

      As they say, what goes around comes around. I hope none of them have daughters who decide to go on a cruise.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if on one day, reality smacks one or more of them in the face ending up with suicide thru the sheer weight of guilt. That day can’t come soon enough.

      Reply

    • BK says:

      06:36pm | 11/10/10

      Yes they are tools. They still managed to board that cruise ship and pick-up on the first night. I would like to say that I am surprised…

      Reply

    • Harry says:

      07:25pm | 11/10/10

      Give it up Penbo.  They were found NOT gulity.  Get over it.

      Just because they ride motorbikes doesn’t give people to the right to play God.

      Reply
 
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