Give accused fair hearing says Falconio girlfriend

The girlfriend of a British backpacker authorities believe was murdered three years ago in the Outback said she wants the man accused of the crime to receive a fair hearing.

Joanne Lees the girlfriend of Peter Falconio, arrived in Australia ahead of the May 17 hearing for Bradley John Murdoch in which it will be determined if there is enough evidence against him to merit a trial.

Murdoch is also accused of abducting Lees, who is from Almondsbury, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

“I want Bradley Murdoch to receive a fair committal hearing as I believe this is the only way justice can prevail,” Lees said in a five-paragraph statement released by prosecutors.

Murdoch is charged with killing Falconio in July 2001 on an Outback highway near the central Australian town of Alice Springs. Falconio’s body has never been found despite searches employing everything from spotters in helicopters to Aboriginal trackers and even clairvoyants.

Lees flew into the port city of Darwin, prosecution spokeswoman Jane Munday told The Associated Press. She gave no further details of what Lees would be doing in the week before the hearing.

In her statement, Lees, who will be the star prosecution witness, said she was preparing for the hearing.

“Accompanying me is Mark Sanders. He is not my boyfriend but one of Pete’s best friends who studied with him at Brighton University,” Lees said.

She also said she would abide by a request from prosecutors not to conduct any media interviews while the case is still in court.

Police said Falconio and Lees were driving through the Outback north of Alice Springs when they stopped after being signalled by another driver on the road.

Lees told police Falconio went to the back of the couple’s camper van and she heard a gunshot. She said she was then grabbed, tied up and dumped in a pickup truck. But she managed to wriggle free and hid in bushes near the remote highway for hours before flagging down a passing truck and raising the alarm.

Murdoch was arrested months later on unrelated rape charges. He faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Lees said she was back in Australia for the sole purpose of testifying at the committal.

“I wish that I was here under different circumstances as I still have many friends here and I have very happy memories of Australia,” she said. “However, this is not a holiday and I am completely focused on the task ahead of me.”