I believe the episode was season three's 'Any Old Port In A Storm' which was also one of Peter Falk's personal favourites.
hello any old port a storm ? http://www.columbo-forum.de/guide/bilder/19/26.jpg
Wow! Excellent, believe it or not this has been foxing me for months. For some reason I thought it was a William Shatner episode and after watching both of his this week I was really confused. Many Many thanks!