AMATEUR HOUR AS ‘HOSTAGE’ EXPOSED
Singer faked her own kidnapping to reinvigorate a stalled career, then went from the outhouse to the Penthouse ... albeit briefly
IT sounds like something out of a potboiler thriller – a local singer is kidnapped by a crazed fan only to be abandoned on a rural road days later.
Only it then turned out it wasn’t true at all – Instead it was all just a publicity stunt to try to boost a flagging career.
It’s a plot right out of a Hollywood scriptwriter’s fevered imagination but it actually happened right here on the Gold Coast.
Memories of the Fairlie Arrow saga were revived this week when the wreckers moved in on the Town and Country Motel at Nerang.
The motel was where Ms Arrow hid out during the days she claimed to have been held by her alleged kidnappers.
The hotel will be replaced by a new office tower but memories of its role in the bizarre stunt remain strong nearly 30 years later.
It was December 15, 1991 when Ms Arrow came to public note when police announced to the media they held fears for the singer’s safety
They said the then-27-yearold, who had complained of having been harassed by a male fan for six months, had disappeared from her Isle of Capri home.
Detective Sergeant Mike Sparke told media a friend raised the alarm after having gone to the singer’s home at 8.50pm the previous night only to find the door of her car was open and the open front door had the keys in the lock.
Sgt Sparke said a man had previously entered Ms Arrow’s former home at Mudgeereba and written the words “don’t leave me’’ in lipstick on a bedroom mirror.
He said it was believed the same man had discovered her new address and written the words “you left me’’ on a mirror, again in lipstick.
“This man has been building up his infatuation over a lengthy period of time and he’s so infatuated that he has to be with this girl,’’ Sgt Sparke said.
“I’d say he’s demented – he needs help and we’re hoping he’s not going to harm her. He’s never shown signs that he wanted to hurt her before.’’
Ms Arrow’s then-husband, George Harvey, was a member of the Gold Coast comedy troupe The Four Kinsman and
rushed back from Adelaide where they were on tour at the time.
He made an emotional plea for his wife’s return.
“It’s like something out of a Stephen King novel,’’ he said.
Fears grew for Ms Arrow’s safety but there was joy when she was found 48 hours later dumped on the side of the road at Mudgeeraba.
Police initially declared it a miracle but the case soon
soured when officers began to have serious doubts about her story.
Outside Broadbeach Police Station, Ms Arrow said she knew there was a lot of scepticism about her 48-hour ordeal in which she said she was blindfolded, gagged and her arms and legs tied to a fourposter bed.
Ms Arrow, 27, also described as ludicrous suggestions that “the most frightening experience of my life’’ was designed to boost plans for a commercial neighbourhood watch security company.
“Trust me. This is not a bad publicity stunt,” she said.
“I can think of a lot of easier ways to run a publicity stunt than this.”
It was just a week later that Ms Arrow admitted it was indeed a hoax before fleeing to Sydney.
Mr Harvey announced the couple’s marriage was over while MS arrow was charged with making a false complaint and false statement while also being slapped her with the $18,000 bill for the search.
Arrow’s singing career stalled and she ultimately posed in lad’s mag Penthouse in 1992.
By the mid-1990s she relocated to the US where she still lives today.