Peter Marco Falconio (20 September 1972 – c. 14 July 2001) was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees. Falconio is presumed dead.
Falconio was 28 years old at the time of the disappearance. His body has never been found. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of his murder on 13 December 2005. The case attracted considerable public and legal attention worldwide.
Falconio was born on 20 September 1972 in Hepworth, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, to Joan (née Reynolds) and Luciano Falconio, an Italian immigrant. Falconio had three brothers, Nicholas, Paul & Mark Falconio. Peter was a graduate of University of Brighton.
Lees stated that while travelling at night along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek (between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek) in the Northern Territory on 14 July 2001, the pair were stopped by a man waving for the couple to stop their Volkswagen Type 2 "Kombi" van and indicating trouble with their vehicle's exhaust.
At the committal hearing in December 2004 Lees told the court that her assailant then tied her wrists together behind her, put a sack over her head and forced her into his ute (pick-up truck). She also stated that the person forced her between the seats of his vehicle and into the rear of his vehicle. She said she escaped from his ute and fled into the dark, hiding under bushes, while he tried to find her with a torch. Expert Aboriginal trackers, called from a nearby settlement could find no sign of tracks other than Lees' in the vicinity. Tracker Teddy Egan stated, "I see tracks where she run and fall down beneath tree. She lie there, hiding". It was also noted that a pool of Falconio's blood that had been covered in soil had attracted no ants or flies, considered to be much more out of the ordinary by Territorians than a roadside fire.
Falconio's body has not been found despite a massive police search. Much doubt has been cast on how Lees may have been able to escape from her bindings, as when she flagged down a passing truck for assistance, her hands were in front of her body. Lees however was able to demonstrate in court how easily she was able to bring her bound hands from behind to front. Police, however, found no vehicle that was able to be accessed from the front seats to the rear canopy area without leaving the vehicle.
Some two years after the disappearance, Bradley John Murdoch, a man living in Adelaide and previously acquitted of a rape charge, was found to have a possible connection to Barrow Creek on 14 July 2001. Murdoch was found not guilty of the rape but Northern Territory police applied for extradition to face charges of abduction and murder. Lees identified his photograph as being the man who abducted her after being shown a photograph of a person in custody in Adelaide by a journalist in the UK, and the DNA from the bloodstains on Lees' clothing matched Murdoch's DNA.
Bradley Murdoch's jury trial began on 18 October 2005 in the Darwin branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he was tried for the murder of Falconio and assaults on Joanne Lees. The trial concluded in May 2006 with the conviction of Murdoch on all counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.
- wiki
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An author has caused outrage by offering a reward for proof that Peter Falconio, the British tourist thought murdered in the Australian outback, is still alive.
Keith Allan Noble arranged for posters to be stuck up in Alice Springs, 931 miles (1499km) south of Darwin, offering the equivalent of around $40,000 for finding the backpacker, the Northern Territory News reported.
The posters carry a plug for the British author's book, "Find Falconio -- Dead or Alive," which claims that jailed murderer Bradley John Murdoch is innocent. They also use the names and address of the murder victim's parents, Luciano and Joan.
Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan said the posters were "offensive" and accused Noble of exploiting the tragedy. "It's disappointing that people are making gain out of this," he said.
The posters say, "Reward - £25,000. British tourist vanished 14 July 2001. Peter Marco Falconio - reward paid when his whereabouts is confirmed in a mainstream newspaper."
Murdoch is serving 28 years at Alice Springs Correctional Center for shooting Falconio and abducting his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
A jury found Murdoch, a drug runner, guilty based on DNA evidence and the testimony of Lees, who said Murdoch waved them down on a remote section of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory, in July 2001.
Murdoch shot Falconio after he got out of the couple's Kombi van to investigate. The killer then bound Lees' hands, covered her head with a sack and forced her into his vehicle. She managed to escape and run into the bush.
Noble says in his book there is no evidence that Murdoch killed the tourist and buried his body in the outback. He also says fresh evidence and witnesses have turned up since the trial.
Noble visited Murdoch in Alice Springs prison and quotes him as saying, "The police say that after I shot him, I must have buried his body - but the ground is so hard out there at this time of the year that you'd need a mechanical digger to bury someone so well that they can't be found. And there was a time frame against me, making such a thing impossible.
"The police have had all the time in the world to find Falconio - 10 long years to search, while I, according to their case, had just hours to hide him. They haven't found him. Yet they've convicted me of murdering him.
"Not only did they not find any trace of a body being picked up or dragged into another vehicle at the scene - they haven't even found the body."
- Herald Sun, May 12, 2012
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Video - Crimes That Shook Australia
Video - Peter Falconio's outback murder
Falconio was 28 years old at the time of the disappearance. His body has never been found. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of his murder on 13 December 2005. The case attracted considerable public and legal attention worldwide.
Falconio was born on 20 September 1972 in Hepworth, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, to Joan (née Reynolds) and Luciano Falconio, an Italian immigrant. Falconio had three brothers, Nicholas, Paul & Mark Falconio. Peter was a graduate of University of Brighton.
Lees stated that while travelling at night along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek (between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek) in the Northern Territory on 14 July 2001, the pair were stopped by a man waving for the couple to stop their Volkswagen Type 2 "Kombi" van and indicating trouble with their vehicle's exhaust.
At the committal hearing in December 2004 Lees told the court that her assailant then tied her wrists together behind her, put a sack over her head and forced her into his ute (pick-up truck). She also stated that the person forced her between the seats of his vehicle and into the rear of his vehicle. She said she escaped from his ute and fled into the dark, hiding under bushes, while he tried to find her with a torch. Expert Aboriginal trackers, called from a nearby settlement could find no sign of tracks other than Lees' in the vicinity. Tracker Teddy Egan stated, "I see tracks where she run and fall down beneath tree. She lie there, hiding". It was also noted that a pool of Falconio's blood that had been covered in soil had attracted no ants or flies, considered to be much more out of the ordinary by Territorians than a roadside fire.
Falconio's body has not been found despite a massive police search. Much doubt has been cast on how Lees may have been able to escape from her bindings, as when she flagged down a passing truck for assistance, her hands were in front of her body. Lees however was able to demonstrate in court how easily she was able to bring her bound hands from behind to front. Police, however, found no vehicle that was able to be accessed from the front seats to the rear canopy area without leaving the vehicle.
Some two years after the disappearance, Bradley John Murdoch, a man living in Adelaide and previously acquitted of a rape charge, was found to have a possible connection to Barrow Creek on 14 July 2001. Murdoch was found not guilty of the rape but Northern Territory police applied for extradition to face charges of abduction and murder. Lees identified his photograph as being the man who abducted her after being shown a photograph of a person in custody in Adelaide by a journalist in the UK, and the DNA from the bloodstains on Lees' clothing matched Murdoch's DNA.
Bradley Murdoch's jury trial began on 18 October 2005 in the Darwin branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he was tried for the murder of Falconio and assaults on Joanne Lees. The trial concluded in May 2006 with the conviction of Murdoch on all counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.
- wiki
-----
An author has caused outrage by offering a reward for proof that Peter Falconio, the British tourist thought murdered in the Australian outback, is still alive.
Keith Allan Noble arranged for posters to be stuck up in Alice Springs, 931 miles (1499km) south of Darwin, offering the equivalent of around $40,000 for finding the backpacker, the Northern Territory News reported.
The posters carry a plug for the British author's book, "Find Falconio -- Dead or Alive," which claims that jailed murderer Bradley John Murdoch is innocent. They also use the names and address of the murder victim's parents, Luciano and Joan.
Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan said the posters were "offensive" and accused Noble of exploiting the tragedy. "It's disappointing that people are making gain out of this," he said.
The posters say, "Reward - £25,000. British tourist vanished 14 July 2001. Peter Marco Falconio - reward paid when his whereabouts is confirmed in a mainstream newspaper."
Murdoch is serving 28 years at Alice Springs Correctional Center for shooting Falconio and abducting his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
A jury found Murdoch, a drug runner, guilty based on DNA evidence and the testimony of Lees, who said Murdoch waved them down on a remote section of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory, in July 2001.
Murdoch shot Falconio after he got out of the couple's Kombi van to investigate. The killer then bound Lees' hands, covered her head with a sack and forced her into his vehicle. She managed to escape and run into the bush.
Noble says in his book there is no evidence that Murdoch killed the tourist and buried his body in the outback. He also says fresh evidence and witnesses have turned up since the trial.
Noble visited Murdoch in Alice Springs prison and quotes him as saying, "The police say that after I shot him, I must have buried his body - but the ground is so hard out there at this time of the year that you'd need a mechanical digger to bury someone so well that they can't be found. And there was a time frame against me, making such a thing impossible.
"The police have had all the time in the world to find Falconio - 10 long years to search, while I, according to their case, had just hours to hide him. They haven't found him. Yet they've convicted me of murdering him.
"Not only did they not find any trace of a body being picked up or dragged into another vehicle at the scene - they haven't even found the body."
- Herald Sun, May 12, 2012
-----
Video - Crimes That Shook Australia
Video - Peter Falconio's outback murder
Peter Marco Falconio (20 September 1972 – c. 14 July 2001) was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees. Falconio is presumed dead.
Falconio was 28 years old at the time of the disappearance. His body has never been found. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of his murder on 13 December 2005. The case attracted considerable public and legal attention worldwide.
Falconio was born on 20 September 1972 in Hepworth, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, to Joan (née Reynolds) and Luciano Falconio, an Italian immigrant. Falconio had three brothers, Nicholas, Paul & Mark Falconio. Peter was a graduate of University of Brighton.
Lees stated that while travelling at night along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek (between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek) in the Northern Territory on 14 July 2001, the pair were stopped by a man waving for the couple to stop their Volkswagen Type 2 "Kombi" van and indicating trouble with their vehicle's exhaust.
At the committal hearing in December 2004 Lees told the court that her assailant then tied her wrists together behind her, put a sack over her head and forced her into his ute (pick-up truck). She also stated that the person forced her between the seats of his vehicle and into the rear of his vehicle. She said she escaped from his ute and fled into the dark, hiding under bushes, while he tried to find her with a torch. Expert Aboriginal trackers, called from a nearby settlement could find no sign of tracks other than Lees' in the vicinity. Tracker Teddy Egan stated, "I see tracks where she run and fall down beneath tree. She lie there, hiding". It was also noted that a pool of Falconio's blood that had been covered in soil had attracted no ants or flies, considered to be much more out of the ordinary by Territorians than a roadside fire.
Falconio's body has not been found despite a massive police search. Much doubt has been cast on how Lees may have been able to escape from her bindings, as when she flagged down a passing truck for assistance, her hands were in front of her body. Lees however was able to demonstrate in court how easily she was able to bring her bound hands from behind to front. Police, however, found no vehicle that was able to be accessed from the front seats to the rear canopy area without leaving the vehicle.
Some two years after the disappearance, Bradley John Murdoch, a man living in Adelaide and previously acquitted of a rape charge, was found to have a possible connection to Barrow Creek on 14 July 2001. Murdoch was found not guilty of the rape but Northern Territory police applied for extradition to face charges of abduction and murder. Lees identified his photograph as being the man who abducted her after being shown a photograph of a person in custody in Adelaide by a journalist in the UK, and the DNA from the bloodstains on Lees' clothing matched Murdoch's DNA.
Bradley Murdoch's jury trial began on 18 October 2005 in the Darwin branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he was tried for the murder of Falconio and assaults on Joanne Lees. The trial concluded in May 2006 with the conviction of Murdoch on all counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.
- wiki
-----
An author has caused outrage by offering a reward for proof that Peter Falconio, the British tourist thought murdered in the Australian outback, is still alive.
Keith Allan Noble arranged for posters to be stuck up in Alice Springs, 931 miles (1499km) south of Darwin, offering the equivalent of around $40,000 for finding the backpacker, the Northern Territory News reported.
The posters carry a plug for the British author's book, "Find Falconio -- Dead or Alive," which claims that jailed murderer Bradley John Murdoch is innocent. They also use the names and address of the murder victim's parents, Luciano and Joan.
Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan said the posters were "offensive" and accused Noble of exploiting the tragedy. "It's disappointing that people are making gain out of this," he said.
The posters say, "Reward - £25,000. British tourist vanished 14 July 2001. Peter Marco Falconio - reward paid when his whereabouts is confirmed in a mainstream newspaper."
Murdoch is serving 28 years at Alice Springs Correctional Center for shooting Falconio and abducting his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
A jury found Murdoch, a drug runner, guilty based on DNA evidence and the testimony of Lees, who said Murdoch waved them down on a remote section of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory, in July 2001.
Murdoch shot Falconio after he got out of the couple's Kombi van to investigate. The killer then bound Lees' hands, covered her head with a sack and forced her into his vehicle. She managed to escape and run into the bush.
Noble says in his book there is no evidence that Murdoch killed the tourist and buried his body in the outback. He also says fresh evidence and witnesses have turned up since the trial.
Noble visited Murdoch in Alice Springs prison and quotes him as saying, "The police say that after I shot him, I must have buried his body - but the ground is so hard out there at this time of the year that you'd need a mechanical digger to bury someone so well that they can't be found. And there was a time frame against me, making such a thing impossible.
"The police have had all the time in the world to find Falconio - 10 long years to search, while I, according to their case, had just hours to hide him. They haven't found him. Yet they've convicted me of murdering him.
"Not only did they not find any trace of a body being picked up or dragged into another vehicle at the scene - they haven't even found the body."
- Herald Sun, May 12, 2012
-----
Video - Crimes That Shook Australia
Video - Peter Falconio's outback murder
Falconio was 28 years old at the time of the disappearance. His body has never been found. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of his murder on 13 December 2005. The case attracted considerable public and legal attention worldwide.
Falconio was born on 20 September 1972 in Hepworth, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, to Joan (née Reynolds) and Luciano Falconio, an Italian immigrant. Falconio had three brothers, Nicholas, Paul & Mark Falconio. Peter was a graduate of University of Brighton.
Lees stated that while travelling at night along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek (between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek) in the Northern Territory on 14 July 2001, the pair were stopped by a man waving for the couple to stop their Volkswagen Type 2 "Kombi" van and indicating trouble with their vehicle's exhaust.
At the committal hearing in December 2004 Lees told the court that her assailant then tied her wrists together behind her, put a sack over her head and forced her into his ute (pick-up truck). She also stated that the person forced her between the seats of his vehicle and into the rear of his vehicle. She said she escaped from his ute and fled into the dark, hiding under bushes, while he tried to find her with a torch. Expert Aboriginal trackers, called from a nearby settlement could find no sign of tracks other than Lees' in the vicinity. Tracker Teddy Egan stated, "I see tracks where she run and fall down beneath tree. She lie there, hiding". It was also noted that a pool of Falconio's blood that had been covered in soil had attracted no ants or flies, considered to be much more out of the ordinary by Territorians than a roadside fire.
Falconio's body has not been found despite a massive police search. Much doubt has been cast on how Lees may have been able to escape from her bindings, as when she flagged down a passing truck for assistance, her hands were in front of her body. Lees however was able to demonstrate in court how easily she was able to bring her bound hands from behind to front. Police, however, found no vehicle that was able to be accessed from the front seats to the rear canopy area without leaving the vehicle.
Some two years after the disappearance, Bradley John Murdoch, a man living in Adelaide and previously acquitted of a rape charge, was found to have a possible connection to Barrow Creek on 14 July 2001. Murdoch was found not guilty of the rape but Northern Territory police applied for extradition to face charges of abduction and murder. Lees identified his photograph as being the man who abducted her after being shown a photograph of a person in custody in Adelaide by a journalist in the UK, and the DNA from the bloodstains on Lees' clothing matched Murdoch's DNA.
Bradley Murdoch's jury trial began on 18 October 2005 in the Darwin branch of the Northern Territory Supreme Court, where he was tried for the murder of Falconio and assaults on Joanne Lees. The trial concluded in May 2006 with the conviction of Murdoch on all counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.
- wiki
-----
An author has caused outrage by offering a reward for proof that Peter Falconio, the British tourist thought murdered in the Australian outback, is still alive.
Keith Allan Noble arranged for posters to be stuck up in Alice Springs, 931 miles (1499km) south of Darwin, offering the equivalent of around $40,000 for finding the backpacker, the Northern Territory News reported.
The posters carry a plug for the British author's book, "Find Falconio -- Dead or Alive," which claims that jailed murderer Bradley John Murdoch is innocent. They also use the names and address of the murder victim's parents, Luciano and Joan.
Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan said the posters were "offensive" and accused Noble of exploiting the tragedy. "It's disappointing that people are making gain out of this," he said.
The posters say, "Reward - £25,000. British tourist vanished 14 July 2001. Peter Marco Falconio - reward paid when his whereabouts is confirmed in a mainstream newspaper."
Murdoch is serving 28 years at Alice Springs Correctional Center for shooting Falconio and abducting his girlfriend Joanne Lees.
A jury found Murdoch, a drug runner, guilty based on DNA evidence and the testimony of Lees, who said Murdoch waved them down on a remote section of the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory, in July 2001.
Murdoch shot Falconio after he got out of the couple's Kombi van to investigate. The killer then bound Lees' hands, covered her head with a sack and forced her into his vehicle. She managed to escape and run into the bush.
Noble says in his book there is no evidence that Murdoch killed the tourist and buried his body in the outback. He also says fresh evidence and witnesses have turned up since the trial.
Noble visited Murdoch in Alice Springs prison and quotes him as saying, "The police say that after I shot him, I must have buried his body - but the ground is so hard out there at this time of the year that you'd need a mechanical digger to bury someone so well that they can't be found. And there was a time frame against me, making such a thing impossible.
"The police have had all the time in the world to find Falconio - 10 long years to search, while I, according to their case, had just hours to hide him. They haven't found him. Yet they've convicted me of murdering him.
"Not only did they not find any trace of a body being picked up or dragged into another vehicle at the scene - they haven't even found the body."
- Herald Sun, May 12, 2012
-----
Video - Crimes That Shook Australia
Video - Peter Falconio's outback murder
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