The stepfather of British backpacker Joanne Lees says he now believes Australian killer Bradley John Murdoch is innocent of murdering her boyfriend Peter Falconio in 2001 – after watching a controversial documentary on TV.
Mechanic Bradley John Murdoch, from Broome in north-west Australia, was convicted of murdering Mr Falconio, 28, and assaulting his partner Joanne Lees, then 27, on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek in the Northern Territory in 2001.
He pleaded not guilty to the infamous outback murder and has maintained his innocence despite a court sentencing him to life in jail following a DNA match found on Ms Lees’ T-shirt.
Murdoch, now 62, is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio’s body, which has never been found despite extensive searches.
Ms Lees hid in bushland for five hours while Murdoch hunted her with his dog, before she managed to flag down a truck driver.
Speaking from the town of Huddersfield, where the couple grew up, her stepfather Vincent James said his opinion on the case has been swayed by a British documentary series which aired last month.
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Pictured: Peter Falconio with his girlfriend Joanne Lees. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of murdering Mr Falconio, 28, and assaulting Ms Lees, then 27, on a remote stretch of highway in outback Northern Territory in 2001
‘I’m convinced Bradley Murdoch is innocent, I didn’t at the time but I do now,’ Mr James told News Corp.
‘I watched the program and [from] all the forensic evidence it would appear that he’s not guilty,’ the stepfather said.
‘At the time when I was there I thought he was guilty but now I don’t.’
Though the conviction was largely based on Ms Lees’ DNA being found on Murdoch’s shirt, Mr James said the new evidence in the documentary swayed him.
The series entitled Murder in the Outback – broadcast on the UK’s Channel 4 – is geared towards exploring alternative evidence, not provided at court during Murdoch’s trial and point to other parties having been involved.
Roger Maynard, one of the first journalists on the scene, discussed the most convincing piece of new evidence with 7news.com.au.
Vince Miller, the truck-driver who picked up Joanne on the night after her assault, said that while on the same stretch of road just a few miles before he picked her up, he saw a red car at the roadside.
Three men were by the car, two of them holding up a third.
According to Maynard, the men didn’t want to be interrupted by the trucker when he asked if they needed help. They bundled the third man ‘like jelly’ into the back seat and drove away.
The truck driver said he now believes the man being held up could have been Mr Falconio.
Ms Lees reportedly still owns property in Huddersfield but is rarely seen in the town – in West Yorkshire, 14 miles outside of Leeds.
Mr Falconio’s parents also still live there and have spent much of the past two decades dedicated to finding his body.
L-R: Mr Falconio’s father Luciano, his brother Paul Falconio and Ms Lees’ stepfather Vincent James attend a press conference in 2001. Mr James has said he believes the man convicted of killing the 28-year-old backpacker is innocent
In June’s episode of Murder in the Outback, a former defence lawyer made a shocking claim from one of Peter’s friends who said the backpacker was ‘capable of faking his own death and committing life insurance fraud’.
Police in Australia have discounted suggestions Mr Falconio faked his own death.
The lawyer, Andrew Fraser, said a person claiming to be a friend of Mr Falconio’s suggested he had committed life insurance fraud.
He told the cameras: ‘One such theory that came to our attention is that Peter Falconio may have faked his own disappearance.
Australia’s infamous ‘backpacker killer’ Bradley John Murdoch, 62, is surrounded by police as he arrives at Darwin airport following his arrest in 2003
‘It’s a statement that comes from somebody who describes himself as a mate of Peter’s. And that statement paints a picture of Peter Falconio that many people may find surprising.’
The anonymous friend – who was working three nights a week for an insurance company – told Australian authorities that the backpacker was known as ‘dodgy Pete’ because he was always known for scamming.
He explained he’d chatted to Peter about how people were taking out life insurance policy cover for a couple of months before going to a foreign country and putting in a false claim.
In a statement, the unnamed friend said: ‘There is no doubt in my mind that Peter Falconio is capable of carrying out the scam.
‘I would not be in the least bit surprised if he attempted to defraud a life insurance policy just for the money. Before he went away he told me he had taken out a policy.’
Last year, Murdoch was diagnosed with cancer, triggering a last-ditch attempt from police to elicit a confession in exchange for moving him to a prison closer to his family.
Mr Falconio and Ms Lees in happier times. Despite claims made on a British documentary series in June, Australian police have discounted suggestions Mr Falconio faked his own death
Murdoch (pictured) was found guilty in 2005 of the murder of the British backpacker and the assault of his girlfriend
The murderer is being held in the Darwin Correctional Centre where he spends his days in the kitchen as a pastry chef and has become known for his desserts.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, according to the NT News.
Police hope the ‘backpacker killer’ will reveal where he buried the body in exchange for being transferred from his Northern Territory jail to a Western Australian prison to be closer to his family as he battles cancer.
Murdoch can apply for parole from 2033 but unless he reveals the location of Mr Falconio’s body, the application will be denied.