Andrew L. Urban.
In the wake of our July 21, 2020 story covering the CJZ produced Channel 7 documentary mini series, Murder in the Outback, in which Bradley Murdoch’s conviction for the murder of Peter Falconio was examined, several readers commented on the fact that the series didn’t mention the hair tie found on Murdoch’s holster – which some see as compelling evidence against Murdoch. It allegedly belonged to Falconio’s girlfriend, Joanne Lees. Murdoch had it in his possession … gotcha! Not quite.
The hair tie which was supposedly a ‘gotcha’ moment for the police investigation, was found on Bradley Murdoch’s gun holster. In her original interview with police, Joanne Lees said she had lost two items on the day it happened. One was a denim jacket, the other was a hair tie which she described as “three strands platted together by metal”. The hair tie found on Murdoch was dissimilar to hers and had no DNA from Lees – or from any female.
Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees – she with her hair tied back
The hair tie seems to have assumed new importance after most of the DNA evidence led by the Crown was discredited in the series, as we reported in our story of July 21, 2020.
The two experts giving DNA evidence at the appeal were at odds over the science, so much so the court put all of it aside, and relied on all the other evidence for its ruling to decline the appeal.
The absence of male footprints at the crime scene (but several other footprints, including those of Lees) also plays into the uncertainty surrounding the version of the story presented by the prosecution: there were no footprints of either Murdoch or Falconio at the rear of the combi, where the prosecution claimed the murder took place. And there has not been any evidence produced that Falconio was shot.
Beyond reasonable doubt?
These factors and the many questions that are still subject of speculation – about the body, the motive, aspects of Lees’ story – make this case more of a running mystery than an open and shut murder case, where the prosecution case has been proven beyond reasonable doubt. We are not advocating for Murdoch’s innocence here, but neither are we convinced that the police & prosecution have done a satisfactory job or that the truth about this event has been revealed in full. Is Murdoch’s guilt proven beyond reasonable doubt …?
There is also the intriguing matter of Robert Brown. As we reported last week “… a local, who swears he saw Peter Falconio in his remote shop after the news of the murder hit the papers. He knows it was Falconio because he was just looking at his photo in the paper when Falconio walked in. “I look at him and … bang … I just seen him in the paper.”
Could he have been mistaken? A look-alike? The man who Brown identified as Falconio, with his Pommy accent, bought a can of Coke and a Mars bar from Brown. At Ti Tree where the young couple had earlier stopped for petrol and provisions as well as a joint, Falconio also bought two items: a can of Coke and a Mars bar. {Play eerie music …}
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It is easy to show that at least one part of her story isn’t true. She said that when she escaped from the ute she ran into the scrub at the side of road and hid there. Then the perp went looking for her (for an hour, with a dog, in some versions) before giving up.
But the Aboriginal trackers found no sign of man or dog. They found her tracks easily enough. This means that no-one except her stepped off the tarmac. And this means that no-one was hunting for her. Her story is false.
But there is more.
She was an important winess. Why didn’t the perp hunt for her?
1. Panicked? Didn’t care? Just packed up and went away. So why did she tell the false story about him hunting for her?
2. The perp (if there was one) knew she wouldn’t tell the real story. Either she was terrified that the perp would hunt her down later, or she was part of the crime.
I don’t know what happened that night, but it is clear that one thing didn’t happen.
So can you supply links to evidence, RoHa, to back up your assertions that:
-“She said that when she escaped from the ute she ran into the scrub at the side of road and hid there”
-“Then the perp went looking for her (for an hour, with a dog, in some versions) before giving up.”
-“But the Aboriginal trackers found no sign of man or dog.”
In July 2020, Joanne Lees stepfather, Vince James went public and claimed that he did not believe that Murdoch murdered Peter Falconio. If Joanne Lees’ step father doesn’t believe her story, then why should we?
Here is a link to the article and video: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8510435/Joanne-Lees-stepfather-says-Bradley-John-Murdoch-INNOCENT-outback-slaying-Peter-Falconio.html?ito=facebook_share_article-top&fbclid=IwAR0om-S0rZUu1YLzaEqVVHY_DrYHSo5b12BnrJmWextGNDZAeMEz-nlXE4Y
To this date the NT Police and NT DPP are less than truthful and honest. I was wrongly convicted in the NT and was set to spend a large chunk of my remaining life in prison that was until I appealed the conviction and was released some 24 hours after the appeal hearing. NT DPP behaviour in my trial and subsequent appeal was a disgrace.
This website is amazing thank you Andrew
I find it interesting that the Toyota 4×4 in the cctv footage is not Bradley Murdoch’s 4×4.
Take a long hard look and when you see it you will be left dumb founded.
I have never believed one word out off JL`s mouth.
Over the many years, I put it to many friends and myself with hands TIED behind our backs and try and get your both arms to the front to free yourself!!! OBVIOUSLY, WITH NO SUCCESS!!
I believe you would have to discolate at least one shoulder in order to achieve this.
Bet she has been paid plenty over the years, let alone travel etc.
I refused to watch her last”STORY”, and I SMELL A DIRTY BIG RAT IN JOANNA LEE’S!!!
She proved in court how her hands were tied behind her back and how she moved her tied hands under her legs and to the front of her body. I used to be able to do this in my younger years
I have thought long and hard about writing the following, the reason being I am new to this forum and I don’t wish to stretch friendship. My question is, how many people here have ever had a gun pulled on them in anger?
Back in the 60’s I was living in America and on two occasion I had to go to a bar and pick up my very drunk friend. After getting him outside I started to walk him home, ( the time was about 01.00 the first time and a bit earlier in the second ). I had placed his left arm over my shoulder and with my other hand grabbed his belt and started to walk, we didn’t make a sound. We had walked about 100 yards when a Black and White came around the corner and stopped along side of us. The cop jumped out of his vehicle and as he walked toward us drew his gun. He got to within three feet where he promptly held his arm out straight and asked in a very typical cop manner. WTF are you doing whilst holding the gun about 12 inches from my face? And this is why I asked the question, the only thing I was concerned with was the very large Black what looked to me to be a cannon, that was wavering around in front of my eyes. Two things I
always remember to this day, was the size of the Black hole that was the business end of the gun and the fact that this cop was nervous. The second time was a virtual replay several weeks later.
So, with what I have just described how was it that JL was so cool that she could describe a gun whilst all she would have seen was the end of a barrel?
Cm said it was him in the cctv at the shell. It was reported that he saw l & f at alice springs friday, he was also said to be at barrow creek pub that day, dressed in the same clothes as described by jl. Yet he was not called by defence.
Some of you might find the following interesting. It is the police inventory of the contents of the Kombi. The number 182 in the list is the one and only positive article that relates to Peter Falconio. Strange that his passport, driving License,clothes, credit cards etc and the book he was supposed to have been reading are not listed.
https://nourishingobscurity.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PROPERTY.INVENTORY.ANALYSIS.pdf
As I think most people can understand, Murdoch altered his vehicles and appearance due to his line of business and subsequently to evade the border patrols during his travels. This weighed heavily against him in court as it suited the prosecution’s narrative that he shot Falconio, however nothing explains how he could have altered the image of Jack, his Dalmatian. The dog was described by Lees in all her testimonies as brown, black in appearance and a cattle dog. I have no understanding of how someone from Britain cannot know what a Dalmatian looks like, assuming the dog and Murdoch were present at all. There are no two pieces of evidence that seem to stack up in this case and when nothing made sense, Lees just changed her testimony and the NT police and judiciary allowed this happen to suit the narrative. I can also thoroughly recommend Robin Bowles’ book ‘DEAD CENTRE’ as it expertly chronicles the case from beginning to end and much more. It’s a brilliant read and I have ordered the new, updated version.
Murdoch told me during one of the visits I made to him in prison(over 60 hours in all over two years) that he bought those hair ties to keep things together and stop them rattling around in his rig. You can buy 5 for $2 at Priceline. No JL hair or DNA on he tie! How flimsy is that? If your followers would like a copy of my latest edition of Dead Centre (3rd) with 10000 new words and new pictures, they could send me a message bia fb Messenger and I’ll post them a signed copy. Thanks Andrew for keeping the debate alive.
Robin, I have just finished your “Dead Centre “, book 2020 version. I would like to ask if you are aware that a three page Stat Dec was sworn out by a gentleman by the name of Atkins from S.A in 2010 ? In it, he claims that he was travelling the same route as JL/PF for several hours and that they interchanged positions several times during the trip. He goes on to give his version of what he saw which if true, is to say the least mind blowing i.e it portrays JL et al in a totally different light, so to speak!
Denise, more details please. If you prefer, send me by email to andrew.urban@wrongfulconvictionsreport.org
Given your much clearer account of what the true facts were is much appreciated.
I did not hold too closely with the version of events as were reported in the public domain.
My having worked and lived in one of the most isolated regions in Australia, the Nullarbor plains in both Western and Southern Australia, one can more reasonably depict the carriage of events as were put to the court by the prosecutor as being unsound or at a minimum outside the realms of reality.
Thank you, Andrew, for your more accurate and corrected carriage of the events leading up to the charges laid against Bradley Murdoch, from thereon in one can now better doubt the police carriage and the prosecution of this case matter after the true facts are known as are necessary to provide an informed personal opinion.
Too much trust had been given to the statements proffered by Joanne Lees, one must understand that she and Peter Falconio were engaged in the same line of occupation as was Bradley Murdoch.
Interestingly, there is no Coke, Chocolate or Sweets (Lifesavers) purchased from the Ti Tree Roadhouse on the receipt as Joanne Lees describes. As I can not attach the image to this comment, if the Admin of this site would like to email me, then I can provide a copy of same.
The receipt reads as follows:
Handwritten on the top in pen: 89,272 (which is said to be the odometer reading after filling up with fuel).
Ti Tree Roadhouse
Stuart Highway
Postal ( PO Box 3546 Alice Springs
Ti Tree NT 0872
Phone: (08) 89569741
Fax: (08) 89569780
ABN: 97 074 849 568
Tax Invoice Receipt # 246
Clerk: Rick
Sale: 14/07/01 – 6:21:50 PM
31.22 Litres (Leaded)
@ $1.19 p/Ltr
$37.15
Total Sale: $37.15
GST Amount: $3.38
Cash $37.15
Total: $37.15
Thanks but if you have that receipt (you are probably a policeman) you should know that it doesn’t cover all the items bought, as Joanne Lees said in her interview with Det Sgt Kerr about the Ti Tree stop:
KERR: Can you tell me what exactly that you bought?
LEES: Bought some sweets, like, well we call them polo sweets in England, they are called Life Saver sweets here.
KERR: Oh, okay.
LEES: Hard sweets. Pete bought a Mars Bar and a bottle of coke a cola.
Lees also gave evidence to that effect at trial.
No Andrew (Not a Policeman). It is an image online of the receipt, and I just thought it would make it easier to email you the image rather than for you to search for it ;-) I just found it interesting that there must have been 2 seperate transactions.
https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/this-handout-photo-shows-the-last-petrol-receipt-purchased-news-photo/55945018
Thanks Brett.
Hi Brett, I find it interesting that there are no witnesses to state they saw Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees at the Ti Tree Roadhouse (unlike the several witnesses who claimed they were at the Aileron Roadhouse which she denies) apart from a passing motorist who said he saw Lees standing next to the orange kombi which was parked on the edge of the highway, she was alone and seemed to be waiting for another vehicle. #Admin, ‘Free Bradley Murdoch’ Facebook group.
It was not Lees hair tie. Murdoch used hair ties for tying stuff.
It is if the whole saga was premeditated. The manacles. No one would go to the trouble of making manacles and carrying them around in the hope they could be used. Murdoch was a practical man and would have used nylon ties in the normal sense. The manacles were a ‘Hollywood prop’. What happened is different to what we have been told. The inside rear of Murdoch’s vehicle had a built up floor, not much room for Lees. And so it goes on.
Many comments and reports refer to Falconio being dead, the expression is allegedly dead. If only the police had investigated properly.
You have more information?
Exactly! If you actually look at the “manacles” you can clearly see there is tape over where the zip ties would need to be pulled to tighten. As we have no account of BM taping the manacles after placing them on JL, we can only infer someone else placed them on JL OR they are nothing more than a Hollywood prop to give credibility to her “story”.
The manacles were cut by the truck driver who picked up Joanne. The tape over the zip ties was placed after the event so that one can see how they fit together.
Good work Andrew. No, Great work Andrew.
Thanks