On the 6th of November 1994, Revelle Balmain (22) failed to show up to lunch with her mother at Newcastle Station, New South Wales. At 4 pm the previous day (5th) Revelle had met a client (Gavin Samer, 26) under the name 'Mischa' in Kingsford. Revelle had been working as a model, a dancer, and an escort, but she was preparing to leave escorting to concentrate on a showbiz career and was about to return to Japan to work as a Hostess.
Revelle had planned to meet a friend after her meeting with Samer, but at 19:15 she called Kate Brentnell to say she was about to leave and that she should meet at the Royal Hotel in Paddington. However, she did not show up. The following day Revelle's bag, make-up, diary, credit cards, and keys to her Bellevue Hill flat were found scattered around several Kingsford streets. One of her shell-studded platform shoes was retrieved from one street; the other shoe was found in another street.
The Investigation
Police interviewed Revelle's client Samer, who said that he had driven her to the nearby Red Tomato Inn at about 7.00 pm on the evening of 5 November. As the booking was from 4.00-6.00, it was unclear if Balmain had moonlighted for the additional hour. Samer told police in his first interview that on Saturday Ms. Balmain disappeared he had drunk 'five twist tops down at the Red Tomato Inn earlier in the day'. He had also consumed two bottles of Strongbow White cider and then a quantity of champagne while he was with Ms. Balmain.
However, the cash register rolls from the bottle shop of the Red Tomato Inn - now the site of Churchills Sports Bar - failed to support Samer's claimed purchases.
A summary of the police investigation provided to the coroner in 1998 listed the reasons why detectives continued to consider Samer the main suspect in Revelle's disappearance. The report said: 'Samer had inexplicable injuries to his neck and injuries to his finger and body, the explanation by Samer of the cause of these injuries was improbable.'
Police also noted how Samer was unable to produce the checkbook with which he allegedly paid Revelle $100 for extra time and services in his home.
After Revelle disappeared Samer moved to Tasmania, before returning to Sydney to answer previous theft charges. He has since been charged with assault and stalking offenses against women.