The British backpacker who escaped the murderous clutches of Bradley John Murdoch has opened up about the aftermath of a crime that shook the world and changed her life forever.
Joanne Lees’ boyfriend Peter Falconio was murdered by Murdoch in July 2001, after the pair were picked up on the Stuart Highway, Northern Territory. After a harrowing five hours of hiding from their attacker, Lees managed to escape.
Despite Falconio’s killer being brought to justice in 2005, the 28-year-old’s body has never been found. Murdoch had refused to reveal where it was.
Now, 16 years on, Lees has returned to the outback for the first time on a mission to bring her former partner home.
Top Comments
Still want to know how she escaped through pulling down the middle seat and exiting out the back when there was no middle seat. A lot of inconsistencies with her account still remain today. I hope it was the right conviction. But more so I hope his body is found to give his family some closure.
What do you mean there was no middle seat? There isn't one in that particular vehicle or there wasn't one in their vehicle? Seems like a rather glaring piece of evidence to either be misreported or overlooked?
She testified she escaped the vehicle cabin by pulling down the middle seat which allows access to the back and crawled through it. When the defence presented evidence to her that the vehicle wasn't fitted with a fold down middle seat she changed her testimony to she couldn't remember how she got out because she was too traumatised at the time.
If she didn't escape that way, if it wasn't possible, then yes, that does raise issues about her account. I don't know, I wasn't there, but if I heard that as a juror it wouldn't go over well.