Advertisement

Details emerge about woman at centre of Shane Warne security breach

Barbara Woinke, pictured here after being granted access to see Shane Warne's body.
Barbara Woinke was granted access to see Shane Warne's body before it was transferred for autopsy. Image: ABC/Getty

New details have emerged about the woman who sparked security concerns when she visited Shane Warne's body in an ambulance ahead of the Australian cricket legend's autopsy.

Warne's family were reportedly left furious when the woman was captured on video paying a visit to his body in the back of an ambulance on a ferry before it departed Koh Samui for the Thai mainland on Monday.

'HE WAS DEAD': Masseuse who visited Shane Warne speaks out

'LIFE IS CRUEL': Devastating new detail in Shane Warne footage

Warne died at the age of 52 after he was found unresponsive in his villa on the Thai resort island, with desperate attempts to revive him unsuccessful.

There was then shock and anger when Thai officials allowed the woman access to see Warne's body, with the German national spending around 40 seconds in the ambulance.

New details have since emerged about the woman, with multiple reports identifying her as German national Barbara Woinke.

A former entertainment and travel writer, Ms Woinke has reportedly worked for newspapers and magazines such as Instyle, Glamour and Bunte.

She has lived in Berlin, Paris and New York before moving to Koh Samui.

“(Ms Woinke) always has her passport and driving license in her handbag just in case,” a German book retailer selling her travel guide said.

Ms Woinke was the senior entertainment editor at Glamour magazine in 2010 and even scored an invite to the Golden Globes that year.

The German national posted a video on YouTube last September showing her Koh Samui promoting a tourism networking group called Skal International.

“Hello, I’m Barbara Woinke. I’m originally from Munich in Germany and here on Koh Samui in Thailand I am part of the membership committee of Skal Koh Samui,” she said.

“I must say that Skal is the most amazing network group I have ever known. Even though we are working the same industry it is never a sense of competition, it is rather the opposite.”

She reportedly managed public relations for the Kamalaya Wellness resort and health spa retreat in 2020.

Barbara Woinke, pictured here at the GRK Golf Charity Masters reception in Leipzig, Germany in 2018.
Barbara Woinke at the GRK Golf Charity Masters reception in Leipzig, Germany in 2018. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

Woman speaks out after visiting Shane Warne's body

Ms Woinke could be seen carrying a bunch of flowers as she entered the ambulance containing Warne's body after speaking to the driver.

"I am a big fan of him. It's very sad that we lost him. I just took the flowers to pay condolences," the woman explained to the ABC.

"I am sorry about yesterday but I [did] not mean [any] negative act by that. I am a big fan, he is a great player."

Thai police launched an investigation into the incident but said Ms Woinke hadn't done anything against the law.

Police officers and health workers, pictured here preparing to load the body of Shane Warne from the morgue onto an ambulance.
Police officers and health workers prepare to load the body of Shane Warne from the morgue onto an ambulance. (Photo by Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images)

"When we knew about that we took her for questioning and found she lives in [Koh] Samui and she knew that Warne came here often and she was a fan," Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn said at a press conference.

"When she heard about Warne, she was sad and at the last moment of life she wanted to lay flowers to honour the death."

In the footage, Ms Woinke can be seen with a Thai woman talking to immigration officials as the ferry was making final preparations before departing Koh Samui.

In English, the Thai woman said: "Yeah, yeah she knows him."

In Thai, she also said: "Thank you very much, she's a friend."

The two women were then escorted through rows of cars to the ambulance, where Ms Woinke spoke to the driver and was then granted access to see Warne's body.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.