Australian man charged with Falconio murder

An Australian man has been charged with the murder of British tourist Peter Falconio, who has been missing since an apparent …

An Australian man has been charged with the murder of British tourist Peter Falconio, who has been missing since an apparent outback ambush more than two years ago.

Mr Bradley John Murdoch (45), who was due to appear in a Darwin court later today, was also charged with the aggravated assault and deprivation of liberty of Mr Falconio's girlfriend, Ms Joanne Lees.

"There could be further charges added," said a spokesman for the Northern Territory police.

Despite a huge manhunt across an area five times the size of Britain, there has been no sign of Mr Falconio since a gunman ambushed him and Lees in July 2001 as they drove along a remote highway in the Northern Territory.

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Ms Lees was kidnapped but managed to escape and hid in the bush while the attacker hunted her with a dog. She later flagged down a passing motorist.

Mr Murdoch, from the pearl fishing and tourist town of Broome in Western Australia, was arrested in the South Australian state capital Adelaide on Monday and extradited to the Northern Territory this morning.