Stepfather arrives in Australia as hunt for gunman continues

The stepfather of British tourist Joanne Lees, who escaped from a gunman who is believed to have killed her boyfriend, arrived in Australia today as the massive police manhunt continued for the suspected murderer and his victim.

Vincent James arrived in the central Australian city of Alice Springs and was immediately taken to police headquarters to be reunited with Miss Lees, who managed to flee from the gunman on Saturday after he had bound and gagged her and dumped her in the back of his pickup truck.

Miss Lees, 27, and her boyfriend, Peter Falconio, 28, of Hepworth, near Huddersfield, North Yorkshire, were held up as they travelled in a camper van about 160 miles north of Alice Springs on a deserted stretch of the Stuart Highway.

Mr Falconio, who lived with Miss Lees in Brighton before the couple left for Australia, is believed to have been shot by the gunman. His body has not been found but police say they discovered his blood at the scene.

The shooting has sparked one of the biggest manhunts ever in the Australian Outback, involving planes, helicopters and Aboriginal trackers.

Miss Lees returned to the crime scene yesterday to re-enact her ordeal in the hope it might jog her memory and help provide vital clues for police.

Police have scaled down their search around the area where the hold-up happened and concede they are no closer to solving the case.

Scores of people from across Australia have phoned police reporting sightings of the gunman after detectives issued a computer-generated image of the man.

Mr Falconio’s father and brother arrived yesterday in Alice Springs in the hope he will still be found alive.

‘‘That’s my feeling, he is alive. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here,’’ his father, Luciano, said.