Latest news with #BradleyMurdoch
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Cops DOUBLE reward for info on murdered Brit Peter Falconio as dying ‘Outback Killer' prepares to take secrets to grave
POLICE have doubled the reward for information leading to the body of Brit backpacker Peter Falconio, who was murdered in the Australian outback nearly 24 years ago. Cops have increased their efforts to locate the tourist's remains which have never been found - with his notorious killer now wheelchair-bound and "just about dead". 6 6 6 The corpse of the 28-year-old tourist who was shot dead by motor mechanic Bradley Murdoch have never been located - and the killer is preparing to take his secrets to the grave. Northern Territory police announced today they have increased the reward for any information which could help to find Falconio's body. It comes just before the 24th anniversary of the tragic Brit's death, who died on July 14, 2001. The reward cash was initially set at $250,000 Australian dollars (£120,000 pounds) but has now skyrocketed up to $500,000 Australian dollars (£240,000 pounds). Cops said the major increase was because they are still "holding out hope" that vital information will help them uncover more answers. Acting Commander Mark Grieve said: "We recognise the passage of time that's transpired, however it's never too late to reach out and start that conversation with police. "There's still people out there who may hold some information. "This has been a protracted and long investigation in regards to trying to find Peter's remains and now is just the right time we feel to present this reward on offer." Falconio, 28, from Hepworth in Yorkshire, was travelling with his British girlfriend, Joanne Lees, from Huddersfield, when they were attacked near Barrow Creek, in Australia 's Northern Territory. Ms Lees managed to escape after hiding in the bush for nearly five hours until two passing lorry drivers rescued her. New clue in search for Peter Falconio's body Murdoch, now 67, who has always protested his innocence was later jailed for life with a non-parole period of 28 years. Despite repeated searches, Falconio's body has never been found. Prosecutors have argued that Murdoch had likely disposed of the backpacker in the vast swaths of desert between Alice Springs and Broome. Fears are now mounting that Falconio's loved ones will never know where his body was left due to Murdoch being on the verge of death. He was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and is now understood to have been transferred to a palliative care unit in Alice Springs recently. Police refused to confirm reports that he had been allowed to take brief excursions around Alice Springs in the company of prison staff. 6 6 Sick Murdoch was born on February 29, 1958. He was a drug smuggler who served 15 months for shooting at people celebrating at an Australian rules football match in 1995. Eight years later he was charged with seven counts of abduction and rape, but later acquitted. The same year he was charged with Falconio's murder. The former mechanic, who once drove road trains across the Australian Outback, lost multiple appeals and was denied special leave to appeal to the High Court in 2007. Peter Falconio case timeline by Harvey Geh PETER Falconio was shot dead in the Australian outback while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees in July 2001. He was 28 years old when he was tragically shot by a man who flagged down the van he was driving. The man was 43-year-old drug smuggler Bradley John Murdoch. Murdoch shot Falconio in the head before bundling Lees into his car and binding her with cable ties. She managed to escape and hide in bushes for five hours, before she ran into the road and waved down a passing truck. Lees soon became a prime suspect in her boyfriend's murder after claims she appeared "emotionless" after the incident. But it was later revealed she had taken the sedative Valium to help her handle her horror ordeal. Police were never able to locate Falconio's remains. Reports in February 2023 detailed that police had found some bones near Alice Springs that were being tested to see if they were the remains of Peter Falconio. The reports were later rubbished with authorities stating: 'No human remains have been located by Northern Territory Police, and a search is not currently being conducted." Murdoch has launched several appeals against his conviction, but he remains in prison in the Northern Territory. He will be 74 years old when he is eligible for parole in 2032. He was handed a life sentence with a 28-year non-parole period, due to expire in 2032. News surfaced on February 17, 2023, that cops had found some bones near Alice Springs that were being tested to see if they were the remains of Peter Falconio. But the reports were rubbished with authorities stating: 'No human remains have been located by Northern Territory Police, and a search is not currently being conducted. Mystery continues to surround the Falconio case because of the absence of a body and no obvious motive for the killing. 6
Times
7 hours ago
- Times
Bradley Murdoch may take truth of Peter Falconio's murder to grave
Police have offered a half-million Australian dollar reward for information leading to the discovery of the remains of a British backpacker whose murder 24 years ago on a remote highway chilled Australians and sparked a wave of outback crime thrillers. The A$500,000 (£239,000) reward for information on Peter Falconio's body is among the largest offered by police in Australia and comes as the rogue desert wanderer convicted of his murder, Bradley Murdoch, 67, nears death from cancer in a Northern Territory prison. The outback killer, who was found guilty of the murder in December 2005, was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019. Despite continued efforts by police, Falconio's remains have never been found, leading to fears that Murdoch will take the location of the body to his grave. Mark Grieve, the Northern Territory police commander, announced the reward on Wednesday, adding that officers 'still hold out hope that someone will be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search'. Murdoch has always refused to say where in the outback he hid Falconio's remains. 'We've made numerous approaches to Mr Murdoch over the years that have been passed up —including very recently, this week,' Grieve told reporters. 'Unfortunately, the outcome of those conversations rests with Mr Murdoch. On all occasions, he has chosen not to positively engage with police.' It was reported on Tuesday that Murdoch was near death and had been transferred to a prison palliative care unit. Police have repeatedly conducted searches for Falconio's remains around the scene of his murder near the desert hamlet of Barrow Creek, 174 miles north of Alice Springs in central Australia. Falconio, 28, from West Yorkshire, was driving his orange Volkswagen campervan at night along the 1,690-mile Stuart Highway in the remote Northern Territory with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, 27. They were followed by a pick-up truck, driven by Murdoch, who trafficked drugs across the outback. Falconio pulled over after Murdoch signalled that the campervan was faulty. Murdoch shot him dead on the roadside then climbed into the vehicle. He tied Lees's hands and attempted to bind her feet and tape her mouth but she fought him off. Murdoch dragged her into the back of his Toyota four-wheel-drive but she managed to flee into the bush while he was moving Falconio's body. Murdoch searched for Lees before leaving, passing nearby three times, but she stayed hidden before finally flagging down a passing lorry in the early hours of the next day. Murdoch was found guilty of Falconio's murder by a jury in a unanimous verdict. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years. He was also convicted of other assault-related charges on Lees. Only after the sentencing was it revealed that Murdoch had previously been acquitted of aggravated sexual assault on a mother and daughter in South Australia years earlier. Falconio's murder partly inspired the Australian crime thriller, Wolf Creek, in which three backpackers, two British and one Australian, are hunted down and captured by an outback serial killer. Falconio's father, Luciano, speaking from his home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, told MailOnline he had only found out about his son's killer's poor health from media reports. 'We don't know anything about him receiving end of life care, we have not been told,' he said. His wife, Joan, was too distressed to speak, fearing that the killer's potentially imminent death would prevent the couple from ever finding out the truth of their son's fate. Now aged in her early fifties, Lees still lives Huddersfield. Joan Falconio has previously told how she and her husband, who have three other sons, have remained in contact with Lees, who was once a suspect in his murder case.
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Australian police offer £240,000 reward to find remains of murdered British backpacker
Police in Australia have offered a A$500,000 (£240,000) reward for fresh information that leads to the discovery of a British backpacker's remains, nearly 25 years after he was murdered in the desert. The fate of Peter Falconio, from Huddersfield, is one of Australia's most longstanding crime mysteries. His body has never been found despite one of the most intensive searches in Australian history, involving Aboriginal trackers, outback roadblocks and helicopters. The then-28-year-old was on a backpacking holiday in 2001 with his girlfriend Joanne Lees when they were held up by a violent drifter named Bradley Murdoch. As the couple were travelling on a remote stretch of highway about 190 miles north of Alice Springs, Murdoch flagged them down and said their van might have an engine problem. Mr Falconio went behind the car with Murdoch to investigate and was shot in the head. Miss Lees was then tied up but managed to escape and hide herself for hours in the scrub while Murdoch and his dog hunted for her. She was eventually rescued by truck drivers on a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway near the dusty settlement of Barrow Creek. Murdoch is believed to have dumped Mr Falconio's body somewhere in the vast expanse of the Outback. He was convicted of murder after a high-profile trial in Darwin in 2005 but has always refused to reveal the location of his victim's remains. The prosecution suggested Murdoch may have killed Mr Falconio because he earlier saw Miss Lees driving the vehicle while her boyfriend slept in the back and thought she was alone. Police are now offering A$500,000 – double the previous reward – to anyone who comes forward with credible information about the location of Mr Falconio's body. Detectives 'hold out hope' that someone has information that could lead to the discovery of the British backpacker's body, said acting commander Mark Grieve of the Northern Territory Police. When asked what had prompted the decision to offer the new reward, he said it was now the 'right time'. 'There was a previous reward of up to $250,000, so we've upped that to up to $500,000. It's like any ongoing police investigation, you want to solve it. You want to try and at least bring some sliver of resolution to Peter's family, by bringing home his remains. 'We are asking for anyone that may believe they have information that can assist, to please come forward and contact police. 'You just never know how beneficial that information that you may hold, may be – essentially you just don't know what you know. 'There may be someone out there that he's confided in – whether that's family and friends – we just don't know.' Murdoch is serving a life sentence in jail in Alice Springs, with a non-parole period of 28 years. Even after that period has elapsed, he may still not be granted parole if he continues to refuse to divulge what he did with the body of Mr Falconio. During his trial in 2005, Murdoch, a drug-runner and former mechanic, was also found guilty of assaulting Miss Lees and depriving her of her liberty. At the end of the trial in Darwin, Ms Lees appealed to Murdoch to tell her and her boyfriend's family 'what he has done with Pete.' But he refused. Despite police repeatedly appealing to him for information, 'on all occasions he has chosen not to positively engage,' said acting commander Grieve. Mr Falconio's family in the UK have been informed of the new reward on offer. 'We keep them appraised of what we're doing … any new information and leads. They're appreciative of the ongoing commitment we're providing,' he said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
New reward to find murdered British backpacker's remains
Police in Australia have announced a new reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000; $325,000) for information leading to the discovery of the remains of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 24 years after his murder. Falconio was shot dead on a remote stretch of highway about 300km (190miles) north of Alice Springs in July 2001. The 28-year-old was travelling around Australia with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, also from the UK, at the time. In 2005, Bradley Murdoch was convicted of murdering Falconio, but has never revealed the location of his body. Murdoch was also convicted of the attempted kidnap and assault of Ms Lees, who managed to escape by hiding in the surrounding bushland. Acting Commander Mark Grieve of Northern Territory Police told a press conference on Tuesday investigators wanted to "bring some sliver of resolution to Peter's family by bringing home his remains". "Police still hold out hope that someone might be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search." Appealing to potential witnesses, he said it is never to late to speak to investigators. "You never know how beneficial that information you may hold may be. Sometimes you do not know what you know," Mr Grieve said. He added that police had "made numerous approaches" to Mr Murdoch, including this week, but said that "unfortunately... on all occasions he has chosen not to engage with police". Police have previously made renewed calls for information on the 15th and 20th anniversaries of Mr Falconio's death. Murdoch, 67, was sentenced to 28 years in an Alice Springs prison, and was due to be eligible for parole in 2032. However, the Northern Territory's "no body, no parole" legislation mean Murdoch will not be eligible for parole if he refuses to help police locate Mr Falconio's remains. Media reports this week have suggested that Murdoch is suffering from terminal cancer and has been transferred to palliative care, but police have said they cannot comment.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Peter Falconio: New reward to find murdered British backpacker's body
Police in Australia have announced a new reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000; $325,000) for information leading to the discovery of the remains of British backpacker Peter Falconio, 24 years after his murder. Falconio was shot dead on a remote stretch of highway about 300km (190miles) north of Alice Springs in July 28-year-old was travelling around Australia with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, also from the UK, at the 2005, Bradley Murdoch was convicted of murdering Falconio, but has never revealed the location of his body. Murdoch was also convicted of the attempted kidnap and assault of Ms Lees, who managed to escape by hiding in the surrounding Commander Mark Grieve of Northern Territory Police told a press conference on Tuesday investigators wanted to "bring some sliver of resolution to Peter's family by bringing home his remains". "Police still hold out hope that someone might be able to provide some vital information to assist in this search."Appealing to potential witnesses, he said it is never to late to speak to investigators."You never know how beneficial that information you may hold may be. Sometimes you do not know what you know," Mr Grieve added that police had "made numerous approaches" to Mr Murdoch, including this week, but said that "unfortunately... on all occasions he has chosen not to engage with police".Police have previously made renewed calls for information on the 15th and 20th anniversaries of Mr Falconio's death. Murdoch, 67, was sentenced to 28 years in an Alice Springs prison, and was due to be eligible for parole in 2032. However, the Northern Territory's "no body, no parole" legislation mean Murdoch will not be eligible for parole if he refuses to help police locate Mr Falconio's reports this week have suggested that Murdoch is suffering from terminal cancer and has been transferred to palliative care, but police have said they cannot comment.
