Reward offered in search for body of British backpacker

Australian police have announced a new reward in the enduring mystery surrounding the disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio, whose remains have never been found despite his killer being jailed more than two decades ago.

- JESSICA COATES

A reward of $500,000 (£239,000) is now being offered for information leading to the discovery of Falconio's body. Bradley John Murdoch is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of the West Yorkshire man and the assault of his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, on a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway in Australia's Northern Territory in 2001.

Falconio and Ms Lees, both from Yorkshire, were on a backpacking trip across Australia in a camper van when they were ambushed by Murdoch on the isolated Stuart Highway, a major road traversing the centre of the country. Murdoch was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 28 years.

Despite his conviction, Murdoch has consistently refused to disclose the location of Falconio's remains, leaving a painful void for his family and friends and perpetuating one of Australia's most enduring unsolved mysteries. The new reward aims to finally bring closure to the case.