DNA breakthrough in Falconio case

Lees and Falconio were travelling through Australia

An alleged rapist has been named as the prime suspect in the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia.

Following DNA tests police in the Northern Territory said they were seeking an arrest warrant for Bradley John Murdoch, 44.

He is already in custody in South Australia, after being arrested in connection with the abduction and rape of a mother and her 12-year-old daughter.

Mr Falconio went missing on 14 July 2001 after he and his girlfriend Joanne Lees were ambushed on a remote desert highway in the Northern Territory.

Despite one of the biggest police operations in Australian history the body of the 28-year-old has never been found.

New information

Police said that for legal reasons they cannot confirm that Mr Murdoch's DNA matches a sample recovered from Ms Lees' clothing.

Mr Murdoch was questioned about Falconio before

But detectives now say they have enough evidence to make him the prime suspect.

Mr Murdoch had already been identified as "a person of interest" in Mr Falconio's suspected murder following his arrest over the double rape.

Northern Territory Police said on Wednesday that they were liaising with police in neighbouring states and expected to be moving towards charges in the coming days.

But they stressed they would not rely solely on DNA and appealed to members of the public to come forward with new information.

Family 'relieved'

Mr Falconio's family have been informed of the developments and are said to have reacted with a mixture of relief and sadness.

Assistant Commissioner John Daulby said the investigation would now focus on the activities of Mr Murdoch.

Joanne Lees managed to escape and hide in the desert

He said: "We will continue to liaise with other jurisdictions and territory detectives will travel inter-state, including south Australia and western Australia, to further investigate the matter."

Mr Daulby added: "This is a sad occasion. There are no winners."

On Tuesday, Mr Murdoch abandoned his legal battle to prevent Northern Territory police testing his blood.

Neither Mr Murdoch nor his lawyer gave any reason for the decision to drop the appeal.

Interview

His blood was thought to have been checked against a sample found on a t-shirt worn by Ms Lees on the night of the assault.

He was first interviewed by police in Western Australia state three months after Mr Falconio disappeared.

The attack happened on a Northern Territory highway

The attacker is believed to have shot Mr Falconio before tying up Ms Lees in the back of his pick-up vehicle and driving along the Stuart Highway.

Ms Lees told police how she escaped from the van and hid in bushes for six hours before he drove off.

She then stumbled onto the highway and flagged down a passing lorry.

Ms Lees now works at a travel agency in Brighton. A spokesman on Wednesday said she was "out of the country".