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”.
Bradley John Murdoch killed Falconio in front of his girlfriend Joanne Lees in 2001[/caption]
Falconio’s (L) body was never found[/caption]
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.
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.
Murdoch has been transferred to palliative care to live out his final days[/caption]
The couple were travelling in the Australian outback[/caption]
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.
Murdoch is reportedly nearly dead[/caption]
