I quit the UK with my boyfriend for sunny Australia – I never imagined the horror that was awaiting us
The pair dreamt of leaving their home in Brighton for a sunnier, less pebbly beach in Sunny Australia - but Joanne could never imagine the horrors that would take place on the other side of the world.
6
6
6
Joanne, 28, and Peter, 27, decided to get a working visa before heading to Sydney in 2001.
Joanne found a job at a bookstore and the pair spent five months exploring the city and its nightlife before buying a campervan to explore the rest of the country.
The pair planned to cruise from Sydney to Brisbane taking in the sites along the way.
But their lives were soon about to change forever after driving along Stuart Highway one cold July night.
The two travellers were flagged down by Bradley John Murdoch along a remote stretch of the highway near Barrow Creek.
Murdoch, a drug-runner and mechanic, drove alongside the couple to warn them sparks were coming out the back of their van.
As Peter stepped out to check the damage, Murdoch brutally shot him in the head while Joanne sat up front in the van none the wiser.
She said: "I heard him talking to the man, all seemed amicable, joking, I could hear him saying 'Cheers mate, thanks for stopping,' it just seemed all friendly."
At one point, she looked in the mirror and made eye contact with Murdoch, which left Joanne feeling uneasy, so she began to rev the engine in the hope Peter would hurry up.
"I heard a bang, I automatically thought 'Oh it's the exhaust.' I stopped running the engine, turned to look around the man was stood outside the driver's door," she reveals.
6
Grandparents, 46 & 47, found GUILTY of murdering boy, 2, after horrific 'targeted' abuse and 'casual cruelty'
"I saw the gun in his hand pointing at me."
He went on to bound her wrists with cable ties and forced her into his own van before taking her hairband and tying it around his gun as a trophy.
For me there was no choice. It was either run or be raped and killed.
Joanne Lees
"I just felt the isolation that I was completely alone. I was screaming for Pete to come and help me, he didn't return.
"Now I realise that Peter had already lost his life but I didn't want to accept that," she said.
The Outback Murders Timeline
July 14, 2001: British backpacker Peter Falconio disappears and is presumed murdered on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, Northern Territory, Australia. His girlfriend, Joanne Lees, is assaulted and abducted but manages to escape.
November 1, 2001: Police interview Bradley John Murdoch in Broome.
August 22, 2002: Bradley Murdoch is arrested and tried on an unrelated kidnap and assault charge by South Australia Police.
November 2002: Joanne Lees identifies Murdoch from police photographs.
2003: Murdoch is arrested and charged with the murder of Peter Falconio and the assault and attempted kidnapping of Joanne Lees, following his acquittal for unrelated rape and abduction charges in South Australia. DNA evidence links him to the crime.
October 17, 2005: The trial of Bradley John Murdoch for the murder of Peter Falconio and the assault and attempted kidnapping of Joanne Lees begins in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in Darwin.
December 13, 2005: Bradley John Murdoch is found guilty of Peter Falconio's murder and the assault and attempted kidnapping of Joanne Lees. He is sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 28 years.
June 24, 2025: It is announced Murdoch has been released from prison into palliative care at Alice Springs Hospital due to terminal throat cancer.
July 15, 2025: Bradley John Murdoch dies at the age of 67, without ever revealing the location of Peter Falconio's remains.
At some point, Murdoch went back to the couple's van and Joanne seized her chance to escape and ran into the outback.
There, she waited for several hours, hiding in a salt bush, praying Murdoch and his dog wouldn't sniff her out.
"For me, there was no choice. It was either run or be raped and killed," she told 60 Minutes.
Thankfully, Murdoch was unable to find her and she eventually was able to flag down a road train to get help.
Joanne was taken to the police, where she was able to describe Murdoch's appearance and his car, which the police were later able to track down thanks to CCTV.
His DNA was then tested against the cable tie handcuffs he made Joanne and it was a match.
6
Life Now
He was officially charged for the murder of Peter and attempted kidnapping of Joanne in 2005 and sentenced to life in prison.
Earlier this week, Murdoch died while in hospital from throat cancer at the age of 67.
While many won't be saddened by the news of his death, grief is felt as Peter's family has never been able to properly say goodbye.
Despite spending 24 years in prison, Murdoch has never confessed to where he put Peter's body, which still remains unfound.
Last month, police offered a reward of £400,000 for information on the murdered backpacker.
Joanne, who has never forgotten about Peter, went back to the Australian outback in 2017 to help bring him home.
"The important thing is for me to come here and at least try," she said.
"I loved his smile, his sense of adventure. And even though you know he only had a short life and died at the age of 28... he made the most of it."
Joanne, now 51, lives in West Yorkshire and works as a social worker.
Since her return to the outback to try and find Peter in 2017 she has stayed out of the media.
Where to seek grief support
Need professional help with grief?
Child Bereavement UK Childbereavementuk.org
Cruse Bereavement Cruse.org.uk
Relate Relate.org.uk
The Good Grief Trust Thegoodgrieftrust.org
You can also always speak to your GP if you're struggling.
You're Not Alone
Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief…
Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians on this award-winning podcast.
The Madness Of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly on losing his husband David to alcoholism.
Terrible, Thanks For Asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebs to share how they're really feeling.
Good Mourning by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who've suffered sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums.
Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert tips.
How To Grieve Like A Champ by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): A book for improving your relationship with death.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I lived fast and hard dealing drugs while hooked on meth… then came the sliding doors moment that completely turned my life around
A reformed drug dealer has recalled the horrific moment he found his brother trying to save his friend after he choked on his own vomit and died from an overdose. Braiden Tonks, 32, has lived through a decade of addiction, violence and crime that ultimately left him scarred, alone and hanging on to life by a thread. Mr Tonks managed to turn his life around and is now a father of three, partner and activist who is trying to help other addicts by sharing his own life experiences. The young father said he was the son of a pub brawler who had a reputation among locals and that he leaned into his violent legacy. Six-foot-five, covered in tattoos, and sporting stretched earlobes, he began smuggling methamphetamine into the Apple Isle in his 20s. His exploits afforded him nice cars, Harley-Davidsons, and enough cash to use meth on the side. But his addiction took it all away, leaving him with a stolen mountain bike and no roof over his head. 'I went from that guy with all the money, all the assets, and dealing drugs, to the absolute bottom of the spectrum,' he told Daily Mail Australia. When he thought he'd lost everything, he sought solace in other users. One introduced him to heroin – the worst drug he ever tried – and soon he was on the brink of death. In a hotel with his brother, Mr Tonks tried some, felt dizzy, and collapsed. CPR from his brother saved him, but the next morning he had to watch as his new friend wouldn't wake up. His brother tried CPR again, then turned to Mr Tonks, bile in his mouth, and said: 'This is exactly what I was doing to you'. The incident rattled Mr Tonks. The turning point came when he was caught in a hailstorm, wearing a T-shirt with nothing but a suitcase of drug paraphernalia behind an electrical box. He weighed just 68kg at the time. 'I remember sitting down behind this thing and bawling my eyes out,' Mr Tonks said. 'I wasn't born a Christian or anything, but I just remember sitting there and all of a sudden looking up, saying, "God, if you are real, help me, or kill me". 'I literally had nowhere to go. Nobody. My family had given up on me, my mum was in jail, my dad is completely anti-drugs.' It was a moment he's now grateful for. Soon after, he was nabbed at Hobart Airport following a failed trip to purchase $20,000 of meth. Detectives hauled him from the tarmac. 'They fully strip searched me, they found the cash, a couple of satchels with residue from drugs in the bag. That was enough to take me back to the station,' Mr Tonks said. He copped a 12-month suspended sentence with two years on good behaviour before a variety of minor offences landed him inside Risdon Prison Complex for six months. After leaving prison, he knew he couldn't stay in Tasmania. He feared he'd be pulled back into old habits. His mother, just out of jail herself, and his ex-partner – who is the mother of his two kids – gave him a chance to stay in their lives if he cleaned up. He said his current partner, Bec, and their daughter was a 'big factor' to his recovery. Mr Tonks said surrounding yourself with people who want the best for you is key to overcoming addiction. While working in construction and raising his kids, he started talking about his previous experiences on a podcast and trying to become that helping hand for others. His content joins a growing group of 'underworld' podcasters - like Sydney phenom Spanian - speaking to forgotten Australians and those curious about life on the edge. An estimated 10.2million Australians aged 14 and over have used an illicit drug in their lifetime. Drug use has declined in most age groups since 2019, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. But street drugs are growing more dangerous due to synthetic ingredients and powerful cutting agents. Mr Tonks also shares stories from others on the path to recovery. He has received dozens of messages a week from young people wanting to turn their lives around. Not everyone likes what he has to say – and that's fine with him. 'There's 100 per cent way more positivity than negativity on social media for me through the message I carry, but once upon a time I wouldn't have been able to handle it,' Mr Tonks said. 'My father was a very violent man... I sort of copped that reputation of him myself.' He admits he used to threaten those who criticised him, a habit shaped by his upbringing. 'Since I went to jail, I wouldn't say I found the Lord, but I found something,' Mr Tonks said. 'I believe in a higher power, whatever it is. I definitely believe in something higher than me. It's helped me, man, to switch off, grow more and not deal with a negative s***.' His podcast is available on Tonksy Media Podcast via social media, YouTube and Spotify. Lifeline: 13 11 14
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Woman shot by Son of Sam receives chilling message from notorious serial killer during trip to library
A woman who was shot by the infamous 'Son of Sam' killer David Berkowitz was confronted by a friend of the killer earlier this week who delivered an eerie message. Wendy Savino had been inside the Valley Cottage Library in Long Island, on Wednesday when she was approached by Frank DeGennaro. The 88-year-old told The New York Post that DeGennaro approached her outside the building, claiming he told her 'David wants to talk to you'. She said: 'So I try to walk around him and he says, "you're Wendy Savino, aren't you?".' The man added: 'Well, I just want you to know David is very upset about what happened to you. David wants to talk to you. David wants you to know he didn't do it'. Following the strange comment, she asked DeGennaro to write down his name, her and her son Jason then took it to Clarkstown Police Department to file a report. She added: 'He had me backed into a corner. He's just talking and talking about the same thing, "David's a really good person".' DeGennaro told the outlet that he was called by the police but not charged, adding that he never intended to scare Savino. He said: 'I didn't corner her. I didn't stand in her way', adding that he became friends with Berkowitz after exchanging letters with the killer who remains behind bars. 'I realize now that it was probably the wrong thing to do, to even talk to her. This is getting blown out of proportion', he added. Savino was shot several times by Berkowitz - who admitted to killing six people - in her car on April 9, 1976. It was later determined that Savino was the first victim of Berkowitz in a series of violent murders that crippled the New York City. For 13 months from July 1976 to July 1977, the 'Son of Sam' carried out a killing rampage that claimed the lives of six and left seven other victims wounded. Armed with a Bulldog revolver, he hunted in the shadows, targeting mostly young couples in cars and on lovers' lanes across Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. When he earned the nickname the .44 caliber killer in the press, the notorious murderer coined his own chilling moniker - the Son of Sam - in a letter taunting the police captain on his tail. The killer claimed that he was driven to kill by a 6,000-year-old demon named Sam which spoke to him through his neighbor's dog. The Son of Sam shootings took over the city's consciousness and filled pages and pages of the daily papers. Young women - noting a pattern of brown-haired victims - began dying theirs blonde or wearing wigs. Other New Yorkers avoided going out altogether. Then finally, on August 10, 1977, the Son of Sam - a 24-year-old postal worker from Yonkers by the name of David Berkowitz - was captured. Berkowitz was sentenced in 1978 to the maximum prison term of 25 years to life for each of the six slayings. He first became eligible for parole in 2002. He has since expressed remorse and said he is a born-again Christian. He is being held at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in New York. Speaking with the Daily Mail last month, Berkowitz said t hat he was 'thankful to be alive, and by the grace of God do good things today with my life today.' 'The past could never be undone. I wish it could, but it's not possible. So I just have to keep moving forward,' he said. 'I am also grateful for the friends I have in my life today. These are good law abiding individuals who love me for who I am today, not for who I was in the past when a [sic] let the devil rule my mind.' But, despite the apparent regret for his crimes, the Berkowitz suggested that he was simply a passive pawn being 'used' to do the devil's bidding.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Memphis guard Sincere Parker arrested after allegedly choking his girlfriend during attack
Memphis guard Sincere Parker was arrested Saturday on an aggravated assault charge for an attack on his girlfriend. The woman told police that he choked her and hit her, according to court documents. She also told police that the attack occurred on May 27 at the Memphis apartment the couple shared. She reported that Parker pushed her, slapped her in the face and choked her, leaving her bruised and bloodied, according to a police report. The woman also told police that Parker broke her cellphone because he didn't want her to have the digital key to the apartment. A warrant for Parker's arrest was issued Friday and the 22-year-old was booked into Shelby County Jail in Tennessee on Saturday. An arraignment was scheduled for Monday on charges of felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor vandalism. It was not immediately clear whether Parker had an attorney. The 6-foot-3 Parker transferred to Memphis after averaging 12.2 points last season for McNeese, helping the Cowboys and coach Will Wade reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He played his first two seasons for Saint Louis.
