'Watch' out for Captain Crook: Missing items returned to rightful owners

Annabelle Morgan and another victim Natalie*, from Perth’s northern suburbs, met at the airport to do the jewellery swap on Sunday night.

Annabelle handed over Natalie’s Guess watch ($400) and a bag of costume jewellery – both gifts from Brett Turton, aka Brad Collins.

Annabelle was reunited with two “special” Pandora charms that were a present from her mother. 

Natalie said the first thing they did was “give each other a massive hug”.

“We want him caught,” she said. “He can’t keep doing this, and getting away with it.”

Both women became de facto with Mr Turton after meeting him mid-last year on dating website Oasis. 

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WAToday reported Mr Turton had then moved into Annabelle's house, spending five months sponging off her. 

Natalie dated Brett for about four months, about the same time as Annabelle, before realising his stories did not add up. 

Natalie said police told her it was hard to prove her watch was stolen, because the pair were de facto.

“Apparently, I could have given him the watch as payment for something,” she said. 

“If every victim reports their stolen items, there will be more of a chance of police catching him.”

Read More: OPINION: Can you help catch Captain Crook?

Mandurah woman Dianne Dunstan said she reported Mr Turton to police last week and handed over gifts including diamond earrings and Flight Centre gift cards.

A further Perth victim, Joan*, believed the earrings Dianne handed to police were hers.

She discovered Mr Turton’s real identity via a Mandurah Mail story and said she had been dating him since May last year. 

Joan said she was given a green stone necklace and diamond earrings she believed to be stolen from another victim, but was yet to identify the owner. 

Natalie said she was still receiving texts from Mr Turton after she accused him of stealing from her. 

”He’s sending me a sob story, like I should feel sorry for him,” she said. 

A WA Police spokeswoman said a stealing offence was being investigated. 

“Whilst we cannot confirm details of an investigation into a particular person, a complaint regarding a stealing offence has been received which is under investigation.” 

Joan said she gave Mr Turton $600 cash to buy her a television, but she never received it.

“He told me not to worry and that he had a friend who could buy me a cheap one,” she said.

“To this day I have not seen the television. I have asked several times.”

Joan said she and Mr Turton planned to travel to Fiji, but he pulled out days before the trip.

“There was always some disaster going on,” she said. 

“I’m an intelligent woman, I should have worked this out.

“What I am most disgusted at is he’s lied to me and pretended to be someone else...why did he have to do that?”

Natalie said Mr Turton told her he had bought a new house for the pair in Kallaroo worth $1.05 million.

“He sent me all these details on it with a law firm’s letterhead and I was packing my stuff into boxes thinking it was all true,” she said. 

“A couple of days before the move, he said we shouldn’t because he didn’t think my kids liked him.

“Obviously there was no sale of the house because it is still on the market to this day.”

Natalie said Mr Turton made himself out to be “highly intelligent”. 

“Even when I could prove he was lying, he would come back with some convincing story,” she said.

“He obviously likes the feeling he gets from it...and he just moves from one victim to the next.”

Natalie, who is in touch with other victims, said they were hurt by the unveiling of ‘Royal Caribbean commander Brad Collins’.

“None of us wanted to believe that what he was saying was not true...and to admit you had been taken is very difficult,” she said.

“It’s so upsetting...it’s awful, because emotionally you were committed to the relationship. 

“You had not had a relationship in a long time and that’s what he preys on.”

Joan* said she wanted to remain anonymous for fear of her own safety after she discovered the convicted felon had served jail time in Melbourne. She said she had also now changed the locks on her home.

Natalie* said she feared possible ramifications for her children if she used her real name.