Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback
Encyclopedia
Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback (also known as Murder in the Outback) is a television film produced by Channel Ten and ITV Productions, which first aired in Australia
on Channel Ten on 18 March 2007 and in the UK on ITV
on Sunday 8 April, where it was titled Murder In The Outback. It is based on the real life disappearance of Peter Falconio
.
s Joanne Lees
and Peter Falconio
were travelling around the outback
in Australia
in a camper van. On the Stuart Highway
, near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory
, they were waved down by Bradley John Murdoch
, who was later convicted of assaulting Lees and murdering Falconio.
The opening scene is Bondi Beach in Sydney
. The backpackers climb into their Kombi van and embark upon their journey into the outback. When driving on the Stuart Highway late one night, they are flagged down by a bearded man driving a ute
. Falconio disappears around the back of the Kombi with the man, and tells Lees to rev the engine. She does so, and a gunshot can be heard. Lees cries out for Falconio, but he does not answer back, and he is not seen again after this point.
The bearded man then appears at the front of the vehicle brandishing a gun, and attempts to kidnap Lees, tying her up in the process. Managing to escape from capture, she hides in nearby bushes.
After four hours of hiding she is finally rescued by a driver of a road train, who takes Lees to a hotel, where the police are called.
Immediately, the press from the UK and Australia
began gaining huge interest in the case, throwing doubt onto Lees's story and focusing on intense rumours that she murdered Falconio. Later, however, Bradley Murdoch is arrested and charged with Falconio's murder after Lees identifies him as the bearded man who kidnapped her.
Lees then faces Murdoch at a committal hearing, and undergoes tough questioning about her version of events and her relationship with Falconio. She is questioned at length about Nick Riley, a man with whom she was having sex
without Falconio's knowledge, and to whom she continued sending e-mails even after Falconio disappeared. Eventually, however, it is decided that there is enough evidence to charge Murdoch and bring the case to trial.
Lees, unwilling at first, attends the trial and gives evidence. She demonstrates to the jury how she was able to manoeuvre her bound hands from behind her back to in front of her body, a key part of her account of her capture. Substantial DNA evidence against Murdoch is also revealed. The jury give a unanimous decision, finding Murdoch guilty of the murder of Falconio. The judge calls him a "Cold blooded killer, who's shown no remorse." He is sentenced to 28 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
The film ends with a scene of Lees sitting on the beach, and text on the screen displays simply:
"Peter Falconio's body is still missing".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on Channel Ten on 18 March 2007 and in the UK on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on Sunday 8 April, where it was titled Murder In The Outback. It is based on the real life disappearance of Peter Falconio
Peter Falconio
Peter Marco Falconio was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees and is nowpresumed dead....
.
Synopsis
The film begins in 2001, when backpackerBackpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
s Joanne Lees
Joanne Lees
Joanne Rachael Lees is a British woman who is most notable for being the girlfriend of Peter Falconio at the time of his murder on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek in outback Northern Territory, Australia on 14 July 2001...
and Peter Falconio
Peter Falconio
Peter Marco Falconio was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees and is nowpresumed dead....
were travelling around the outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in a camper van. On the Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...
, near Barrow Creek, in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, they were waved down by Bradley John Murdoch
Bradley John Murdoch
Bradley John Murdoch is serving life imprisonment for the July 2001 murder of English backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole. Murdoch is being held in Alice Springs Correctional Centre in Alice Springs. He has lodged two appeals against his conviction; both...
, who was later convicted of assaulting Lees and murdering Falconio.
The opening scene is Bondi Beach in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The backpackers climb into their Kombi van and embark upon their journey into the outback. When driving on the Stuart Highway late one night, they are flagged down by a bearded man driving a ute
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
. Falconio disappears around the back of the Kombi with the man, and tells Lees to rev the engine. She does so, and a gunshot can be heard. Lees cries out for Falconio, but he does not answer back, and he is not seen again after this point.
The bearded man then appears at the front of the vehicle brandishing a gun, and attempts to kidnap Lees, tying her up in the process. Managing to escape from capture, she hides in nearby bushes.
After four hours of hiding she is finally rescued by a driver of a road train, who takes Lees to a hotel, where the police are called.
Immediately, the press from the UK and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
began gaining huge interest in the case, throwing doubt onto Lees's story and focusing on intense rumours that she murdered Falconio. Later, however, Bradley Murdoch is arrested and charged with Falconio's murder after Lees identifies him as the bearded man who kidnapped her.
Lees then faces Murdoch at a committal hearing, and undergoes tough questioning about her version of events and her relationship with Falconio. She is questioned at length about Nick Riley, a man with whom she was having sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
without Falconio's knowledge, and to whom she continued sending e-mails even after Falconio disappeared. Eventually, however, it is decided that there is enough evidence to charge Murdoch and bring the case to trial.
Lees, unwilling at first, attends the trial and gives evidence. She demonstrates to the jury how she was able to manoeuvre her bound hands from behind her back to in front of her body, a key part of her account of her capture. Substantial DNA evidence against Murdoch is also revealed. The jury give a unanimous decision, finding Murdoch guilty of the murder of Falconio. The judge calls him a "Cold blooded killer, who's shown no remorse." He is sentenced to 28 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
The film ends with a scene of Lees sitting on the beach, and text on the screen displays simply:
"Peter Falconio's body is still missing".
Trivia
Actual radio news reports by Australian reporter Tim Stackpool, broadcast in the UK during the real trial, are used extensively as part of the soundtrack to this film.Cast
- Joanne FroggattJoanne Froggatt- Early life, education and early career :Born and raised in the village of Littlebeck, Froggatt left her family home at the age of 13 to attend the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, Berkshire. In 1996, she made her TV début in the long-running ITV drama, The Bill, and shortly afterwards...
as Joanne LeesJoanne LeesJoanne Rachael Lees is a British woman who is most notable for being the girlfriend of Peter Falconio at the time of his murder on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek in outback Northern Territory, Australia on 14 July 2001... - John WoodJohn Wood (Australian actor)John Wood is a Gold Logie Award-winning Australian actor, best known for his role as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in the Seven Network's long running police drama Blue Heelers.-TV career:...
as Grant Algie - Bryan BrownBryan BrownBryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
as Rex WildRex WildRex Wild, QC is a former Director of Public Prosecutions for the Northern Territory of Australia. He was appointed to the position in 1998, retiring in 2006... - Tom LongTom Long (actor)-Early life:Long was born on 3 August 1968 in the United States when his Australian parents were there at the time, and grew up on a farm near Benalla, Victoria...
as Tony Elliot - Asher KeddieAsher KeddieAsher Keddie is an Australian actress who is perhaps best known for her role in the Australian television series Offspring. She is also known for her theatre work and leading roles in the television series Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and Love My...
as Anne - Richard Carter as Bradley John MurdochBradley John MurdochBradley John Murdoch is serving life imprisonment for the July 2001 murder of English backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia. He will be 74 when eligible for parole. Murdoch is being held in Alice Springs Correctional Centre in Alice Springs. He has lodged two appeals against his conviction; both...
- Laurence Bruels as Peter FalconioPeter FalconioPeter Marco Falconio was a British tourist who disappeared in the Australian outback in July 2001, while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees and is nowpresumed dead....