How trip of a lifetime turned to tragedy

It was meant to be a trip of a lifetime for British backpackers Joanne Lees and her boyfriend Peter Falconio – but their journey into the red centre of Australia turned to tragedy.

The couple had been travelling in their VW Kombi on July 14 last year through Barrow Creek, 185 miles north of Alice Springs, when Ms Lees said they were flagged down by a long-haired man with a dog driving a pick-up.

Mr Falconio, 28, from Hepworth, near Huddersfield, walked to the rear of the vehicle with the man.

Ms Lees, 27, from Almondbury, near Huddersfield, heard a shot but before she could find out more she was bound, gagged and bundled into the pick-up and driven off.

She eventually freed herself and fled into the scrub, hiding from her assailant and his dog for several hours.

Aboriginal trackers, helicopters motorbikes and 100 police officers searched an area of the outback twice the size of France and set up roadblocks.

Investigative officers heard, and dismissed, evidence from a psychic and a water diviner and they also hypnotised Ms Lees, but to no avail.

Police later released a CCTV picture of a potential suspect seen at an Alice Springs garage.

Throughout Ms Lees’ ordeal police expressed confidence in her version of events and said they believed that Mr Falconio had been shot dead.

Her story was corroborated by evidence at the scene including DNA samples believed to be of the gunman.

However, by the time of the first anniversary of Mr Falconio’s disappearance, it was announced that the number of police working on the case was to be cut.

The breakthrough for police came early in September when they arrested Bradley John Murdoch, 44, in connection with another crime – the abduction and rape of a woman and her daughter in South Australia.

Police won the right to analyse his DNA samples because they wanted to compare it with a sample gleaned from a blood stain found on Ms Lees’ clothing.