Police have offered a huge new reward for the location of a murdered British backpacker’s body amid fears the killer could take the secret to the grave.
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.
Bradley John Murdoch was eventually found guilty of murdering Peter in 2005, as well as assaulting Joanne, and was sentenced to life in prison.
But he’s always maintained his innocence, appealing against his conviction twice, and has never revealed where he dumped Peter’s body.
Now prison sources have told an Australian news site that Murdoch has been moved out of hospital into palliative care as he comes close to death from terminal throat cancer.
Police have launched a new appeal for information to find Peter’s body, doubling their previous potential reward of up to AU$500,000 (£240,000), amid fears Murdoch could take his secrets to the grave.
Officers have continued to re-interview Murdoch throughout his prison sentence, including as recently as this week, about the location of the body.
Acting Northern Territory Police commander Mark Grieve said: ‘We’re asking for anyone who may believe they have information that can assist to please come forward and contact police.
‘It’s never too late to reach out, and at least start that conversation with police, because you just never know how beneficial that information that you may hold may be.
‘We recognise the passage of time that’s transpired, however, it’s never too late.
‘We’ve made numerous approaches to Murdoch over the years that have passed up until very recently, being this week.
‘Unfortunately the outcome of those conversations rest with Murdoch. On all occasions, he has chosen not to positively engage with police.’
Commander Grieve said he hopes to ‘at least bring some sliver of resolution to Peter’s family by bringing home his remains’, adding the force has been ‘unwavering’ in its mission to do so for the last 24 years.
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.
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 won’t be released as long as he refusesto reveal the location of Peter’s body.
Joanne, who has since returned to the UK, said in 2017 that she still wanted to ‘bring him home’, adding: ‘Pete lost his life on that night, but I lost mine too.
‘I’ll never be fully at peace if Pete’s not found, but I accept that that is a possibility.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.