There are defining personal moments in most people’s careers, not necessarily due to any notoriety, but perhaps because of the way the moments invade your personal psyche or perspective on life. One single case recurs in my mind as one of the most professionally intensive and enduring. The murder of a tourist in Central Australia and the media scrutiny of his surviving girlfriend Joanne Lees is a story that will never end, least of all because Peter's body has never been found.
THE STORY
On July the 14th 2001, the young and vibrant Briton Peter Falconio was killed on a lonely stretch of road in the midst of Australia’s desolate outback. Accompanied by Joanne Lees, his girlfriend from Huddersfield, the young backpackers were undertaking the holiday of a lifetime. But while driving late that night across the vast Australian desert, a man signalled to them to pull over. Investigating a ‘problem’ with their campervan, Peter and the man examined the rear of the vehicle while Joanne revved the engine from the driver’s seat.
Then, the world changed forever.
Joanne heard a loud bang and the man appeared by the driver’s side door, brandishing a gun. Peter was nowhere to be seen. Joanne’s hands were tied and she was thrown into the back of the man’s truck. She escaped, hiding in the blackness of the night, while the man searched in vain to find her. Eventually he left, and Joanne remained concealed in the bushes until a larger transport truck drove past some hours later, when Joanne flagged it down.
THE CASE
The investigation and events that followed are well documented in books and online (just search for ‘Falconio’ if you have a few hours to spare), with theories, inconsistencies, conspiracies, and substantial imagination creating a criminal case that has now become Australian folklore.
Ultimately some years later, Bradley John Murdoch was found guilty of the murder of Peter Falconio (although his body has not yet been recovered) and of the assault and ‘deprivation of liberty’ (kidnapping) of Joanne Lees.
Irrespective of any personal opinions on the case (and everyone has one), these events represent a true horror story for all those involved, from the victims, to their friends and families, and to the investigators and those who were engaged to follow the case.
From the period of Peter’s death until the final appeals of innocence by Murdoch were exhausted, almost 6 years had passed. During that time, I was commissioned by a number of broadcasting companies in the UK to cover and report on the events as they unfolded, mainly on radio:
On July the 14th 2001, the young and vibrant Briton Peter Falconio was killed on a lonely stretch of road in the midst of Australia’s desolate outback. Accompanied by Joanne Lees, his girlfriend from Huddersfield, the young backpackers were undertaking the holiday of a lifetime. But while driving late that night across the vast Australian desert, a man signalled to them to pull over. Investigating a ‘problem’ with their campervan, Peter and the man examined the rear of the vehicle while Joanne revved the engine from the driver’s seat.
Then, the world changed forever.
Joanne heard a loud bang and the man appeared by the driver’s side door, brandishing a gun. Peter was nowhere to be seen. Joanne’s hands were tied and she was thrown into the back of the man’s truck. She escaped, hiding in the blackness of the night, while the man searched in vain to find her. Eventually he left, and Joanne remained concealed in the bushes until a larger transport truck drove past some hours later, when Joanne flagged it down.
THE CASE
The investigation and events that followed are well documented in books and online (just search for ‘Falconio’ if you have a few hours to spare), with theories, inconsistencies, conspiracies, and substantial imagination creating a criminal case that has now become Australian folklore.
Ultimately some years later, Bradley John Murdoch was found guilty of the murder of Peter Falconio (although his body has not yet been recovered) and of the assault and ‘deprivation of liberty’ (kidnapping) of Joanne Lees.
Irrespective of any personal opinions on the case (and everyone has one), these events represent a true horror story for all those involved, from the victims, to their friends and families, and to the investigators and those who were engaged to follow the case.
From the period of Peter’s death until the final appeals of innocence by Murdoch were exhausted, almost 6 years had passed. During that time, I was commissioned by a number of broadcasting companies in the UK to cover and report on the events as they unfolded, mainly on radio:
It was a story that opened many questions as the investigation and court proceedings continued. It was a compelling case, and despite the absolute dreadful events that the case represented, the story was as gripping for me as a reporter, as it was tragic for those affected.
Many other reporters published books about the case, some sympathetic to the surviving victim, one particularly suspicious of the entire process. Joanne Lees also penned her own account worth reading.
THE MOVIE
For me, posterity came in the form of the film Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback, a joint venture between production companies in Australia and the UK, but a production that Joanne herself had no connection with. My actual reports that were broadcast in the UK during the trial are heard as incidental audio throughout the film. They can be heard in the background:
Many other reporters published books about the case, some sympathetic to the surviving victim, one particularly suspicious of the entire process. Joanne Lees also penned her own account worth reading.
THE MOVIE
For me, posterity came in the form of the film Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback, a joint venture between production companies in Australia and the UK, but a production that Joanne herself had no connection with. My actual reports that were broadcast in the UK during the trial are heard as incidental audio throughout the film. They can be heard in the background:
It was via this film that a new personal perspective of the case dawned on me. One of the radio stations that broadcast my daily account of the court proceedings was a small local broadcaster located in Peter’s home town of Huddersfield. The film depicted the local population sometimes listening to these reports. It was a perspective on my reports that I had rarely imagined, that people attached to the victims back home were hearing the news unfolding half a world away directly from me.
THE AFTERMATH
The ‘Falconio murder’ will leave a lasting impression on so many people in both Australia and the UK. Along with others covering and involved with the case, I have been interviewed many times about the events and proceedings. Invariably, as anniversaries of various aspects of the case come around, discussions again arise:
THE AFTERMATH
The ‘Falconio murder’ will leave a lasting impression on so many people in both Australia and the UK. Along with others covering and involved with the case, I have been interviewed many times about the events and proceedings. Invariably, as anniversaries of various aspects of the case come around, discussions again arise:
Even those merely observing will recall Australia’s Northern Territory as a place of mystery and sometimes danger because of this case. But for those directly affected, for Joanne and Peter’s families, while it is a chapter in their lives they wish had never occurred, and perhaps one they would rather forget, the events of 14th July 2001 will remain in their minds, and in the minds of others for as long as it remains in the annals of Australian criminal history.
I’ll certainly never forget.
Copyright various owners. No infringement intended
Adapted from the post at http://timstackpool.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/peter-falconio-legacy.html