Dad of murdered backpacker says he feels 'no sadness' over killer's death for so
Peter Falconio was 28 when he was murdered in 2001 while backpacking in the Northern Territory of Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
The couple were attacked after being ambushed in their campervan on a remote highway.
Four years later, Bradley John Murdoch was found guilty of murdering Peter, as well as assaulting Joanne, and was sentenced to life in prison.
But he pleaded not guilty during his trial, and has maintained his innocence ever since, even appealing against his conviction twice.
Critically, Murdoch has never revealed where he dumped Peter's body.
When it became clear last month that he was dying of throat cancer, Australian police spoke with Murdoch several times and appealed to the public for any information about the location of Peter's remains.
They even doubled their previous potential reward to AU$500,000 (£240,000) – but despite this, Murdoch died earlier this week and took his secrets to the grave.
A police spokesperson said yesterday: 'It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
'His silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved.'
And now Luciano Falconio, Peter's father, has spoken out about this lack of closure and said the family prefers not to think about their son's murderer.
The dad, now aged 83, told MailOnline: 'He's not a good person. He's cruel, he's a coward and we feel no sadness for him.
'He should have admitted his crime. He is the only one who knows where my son is.
'I don't think he shared anything with Australian police but he may have told someone – I really hope he has.
'I am in pain for my wife. I hope I find my son, for both of us… We need an end while we are still here.'
While he doesn't 'wish anybody dead', Luciano said he wished Murdoch had left something or made a deathbed confession to help him find Peter's remains and bring him home.
On July 14, 2001, Peter and Joanne were driving in a campervan about 190 miles north of Alice Springs when Murdoch pulled up beside them on the highway and urged them to pull over.
He claimed to have seen sparks coming from their van – but when Peter got out to inspect the vehicle, Murdoch shot him in the head. More Trending
He then forced Joanne into his pick-up truck, tying her wrists with cable ties and putting a sack over her head.
Fearing she would be raped or killed, she managed to escape Murdoch's car and hid in the bush for five hours until flagging down a passing truck for help.
During the trial, prosecutors said Murdoch had likely disposed of Peter's body somewhere in the vast 1,200mile stretch of outback between Alice Springs and Broome.
Murdoch wouldn't have been eligible for parole until 2033, but a new 'no body, no parole' law means he wouldn't be released as long as he refused to reveal the location of Peter's body.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Three minutes cut from 'raw' prison footage of the night Epstein died
MORE: Boy, 6, 'kills newborn baby' after being left alone on maternity ward
MORE: NCA officer jailed for swiping Bitcoin now worth £4,300,000 from Dark Web suspect
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
UK sanctions Russian spies trying to ‘destabilise Europe'
Those sanctioned include a unit that targeted the daughter of Sergei Skripal years before Russian agents attempted to murder him in Salisbury with the nerve agent Novichok. Others are accused of belonging to units that have carried out cyber attacks in the UK, France, Germany and the US – while also facilitating strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. 'The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies.' In total, 18 officers of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence unit, have been sanctioned, along with three men linked to Moscow's efforts to spread disinformation in West Africa. They include five men said to have been involved in a cyber attack on Yulia Skripal in 2013, in which the GRU's Unit 26165 targeted her emails with malware known as X-Agent. Development of X-Agent is said to have been overseen by Lieutenant-Colonel Sergey Morgachev, and involved Aleksey Lukashev, Ivan Yermakov, Sergey Vasyuk and Artem Malyshev, who have all been sanctioned. Lukashev and Yermakov are said to have carried out the attack on Ms Skirpal's emails, five years before members of a separate GRU unit poisoned her and her father with Novichok. The Foreign Office accused Unit 26165, which is already sanctioned, of attempting to disrupt investigations into the attempted murder of the Skripals along with another already-sanctioned GRU outfit, Unit 74455. On Friday, the UK added GRU Unit 29155 to the sanctions list, accusing it of carrying out the poisoning and saying the incident 'underscores how GRU Units integrate cyber operations into hybrid activity with the aim of furthering the Kremlin's objectives'. Also sanctioned are Aleksey Morenets and Yevgeney Serebriakov, accused of carrying out 'close access operations' against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, Netherlands. As well as carrying out cyber attacks in Western Europe, Unit 26165 is said to have conducted operations in Ukraine, including carrying out reconnaissance that facilitated the 2022 attack on the Mariupol Theatre that killed hundreds of civilians, including children. The UK and our allies are striking at the heart of Russia's energy sector by lowering the Oil Price Cap. This will directly hit Putin's most critical revenue stream and drain his war chest. We will keep up economic pressure as we stand by — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 18, 2025 Several of the men sanctioned on Friday are already wanted by the FBI in the United States. They include Colonel Aleksandr Osadchuk, said to be the commanding officer of Unit 74455. He and others have been charged with a series of offences in connection with Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election. Other men sanctioned by the UK on Friday, including Morenets and Serebriakov, are accused of targeting anti-doping organisations and other sporting bodies around the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Meanwhile, the UK joined the EU in lowering the price cap on Russian oil as Ukraine's allies sought to increase pressure on Moscow to engage in peace talks. The cap, which is currently 60 US dollars per barrel, will fall to 47.60 dollars from September 2 in a move Chancellor Rachel Reeves said was aimed at 'exploiting' President Vladimir Putin's 'biggest vulnerability'. Energy revenues account for around 30% of the Russian state's income, making them a key source of funding for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Ms Reeves, who is attending a meeting of G20 finance ministers in South Africa, said: 'The UK and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin's war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further.' Mr Lammy added the UK would not 'stand by' while Mr Putin 'continues to stall on serious peace talks'.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
UK sanctions Russian spies trying to ‘destabilise Europe'
The UK has sanctioned a string of Russian spies and hackers, accusing them of carrying out a campaign to 'destabilise Europe'. Those sanctioned include a unit that targeted the daughter of Sergei Skripal years before Russian agents attempted to murder him in Salisbury with the nerve agent Novichok. Others are accused of belonging to units that have carried out cyber attacks in the UK, France, Germany and the US – while also facilitating strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. 'The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies.' In total, 18 officers of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence unit, have been sanctioned, along with three men linked to Moscow's efforts to spread disinformation in West Africa. They include five men said to have been involved in a cyber attack on Yulia Skripal in 2013, in which the GRU's Unit 26165 targeted her emails with malware known as X-Agent. Development of X-Agent is said to have been overseen by Lieutenant-Colonel Sergey Morgachev, and involved Aleksey Lukashev, Ivan Yermakov, Sergey Vasyuk and Artem Malyshev, who have all been sanctioned. Lukashev and Yermakov are said to have carried out the attack on Ms Skirpal's emails, five years before members of a separate GRU unit poisoned her and her father with Novichok. The Foreign Office accused Unit 26165, which is already sanctioned, of attempting to disrupt investigations into the attempted murder of the Skripals along with another already-sanctioned GRU outfit, Unit 74455. On Friday, the UK added GRU Unit 29155 to the sanctions list, accusing it of carrying out the poisoning and saying the incident 'underscores how GRU Units integrate cyber operations into hybrid activity with the aim of furthering the Kremlin's objectives'. Also sanctioned are Aleksey Morenets and Yevgeney Serebriakov, accused of carrying out 'close access operations' against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, Netherlands. As well as carrying out cyber attacks in Western Europe, Unit 26165 is said to have conducted operations in Ukraine, including carrying out reconnaissance that facilitated the 2022 attack on the Mariupol Theatre that killed hundreds of civilians, including children. The UK and our allies are striking at the heart of Russia's energy sector by lowering the Oil Price Cap. This will directly hit Putin's most critical revenue stream and drain his war chest. We will keep up economic pressure as we stand by Ukraine. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 18, 2025 Several of the men sanctioned on Friday are already wanted by the FBI in the United States. They include Colonel Aleksandr Osadchuk, said to be the commanding officer of Unit 74455. He and others have been charged with a series of offences in connection with Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election. Other men sanctioned by the UK on Friday, including Morenets and Serebriakov, are accused of targeting anti-doping organisations and other sporting bodies around the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Meanwhile, the UK joined the EU in lowering the price cap on Russian oil as Ukraine's allies sought to increase pressure on Moscow to engage in peace talks. The cap, which is currently 60 US dollars per barrel, will fall to 47.60 dollars from September 2 in a move Chancellor Rachel Reeves said was aimed at 'exploiting' President Vladimir Putin's 'biggest vulnerability'. Energy revenues account for around 30% of the Russian state's income, making them a key source of funding for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Ms Reeves, who is attending a meeting of G20 finance ministers in South Africa, said: 'The UK and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin's war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further.'
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
UK sanctions Russian spies trying to ‘destabilise Europe'
Those sanctioned include a unit that targeted the daughter of Sergei Skripal years before Russian agents attempted to murder him in Salisbury with the nerve agent Novichok. Others are accused of belonging to units that have carried out cyber attacks in the UK, France, Germany and the US – while also facilitating strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. 'The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it. That's why we're taking decisive action with sanctions against Russian spies.' In total, 18 officers of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence unit, have been sanctioned, along with three men linked to Moscow's efforts to spread disinformation in West Africa. They include five men said to have been involved in a cyber attack on Yulia Skripal in 2013, in which the GRU's Unit 26165 targeted her emails with malware known as X-Agent. Development of X-Agent is said to have been overseen by Lieutenant-Colonel Sergey Morgachev, and involved Aleksey Lukashev, Ivan Yermakov, Sergey Vasyuk and Artem Malyshev, who have all been sanctioned. Lukashev and Yermakov are said to have carried out the attack on Ms Skirpal's emails, five years before members of a separate GRU unit poisoned her and her father with Novichok. The Foreign Office accused Unit 26165, which is already sanctioned, of attempting to disrupt investigations into the attempted murder of the Skripals along with another already-sanctioned GRU outfit, Unit 74455. On Friday, the UK added GRU Unit 29155 to the sanctions list, accusing it of carrying out the poisoning and saying the incident 'underscores how GRU Units integrate cyber operations into hybrid activity with the aim of furthering the Kremlin's objectives'. Also sanctioned are Aleksey Morenets and Yevgeney Serebriakov, accused of carrying out 'close access operations' against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, Netherlands. As well as carrying out cyber attacks in Western Europe, Unit 26165 is said to have conducted operations in Ukraine, including carrying out reconnaissance that facilitated the 2022 attack on the Mariupol Theatre that killed hundreds of civilians, including children. The UK and our allies are striking at the heart of Russia's energy sector by lowering the Oil Price Cap. This will directly hit Putin's most critical revenue stream and drain his war chest. We will keep up economic pressure as we stand by — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 18, 2025 Several of the men sanctioned on Friday are already wanted by the FBI in the United States. They include Colonel Aleksandr Osadchuk, said to be the commanding officer of Unit 74455. He and others have been charged with a series of offences in connection with Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election. Other men sanctioned by the UK on Friday, including Morenets and Serebriakov, are accused of targeting anti-doping organisations and other sporting bodies around the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Meanwhile, the UK joined the EU in lowering the price cap on Russian oil as Ukraine's allies sought to increase pressure on Moscow to engage in peace talks. The cap, which is currently 60 US dollars per barrel, will fall to 47.60 dollars from September 2 in a move Chancellor Rachel Reeves said was aimed at 'exploiting' President Vladimir Putin's 'biggest vulnerability'. Energy revenues account for around 30% of the Russian state's income, making them a key source of funding for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Ms Reeves, who is attending a meeting of G20 finance ministers in South Africa, said: 'The UK and its EU allies are turning the screw on the Kremlin's war chest by stemming the most valuable funding stream of its illegal war in Ukraine even further.' Mr Lammy added the UK would not 'stand by' while Mr Putin 'continues to stall on serious peace talks'.
