Packed with clothes and items for a road trip adventure, these pictures show the white Mitsubishi Pajero at the centre of a British backpacker's horrific months-long hostage ordeal.
The 22-year-old woman was found in the 4WD by police with 'serious' facial injuries and in extreme distress when she was pulled over by officers on the Warrego Highway, in Queensland's west, on Sunday afternoon.
Police allege the woman was 'repeatedly raped, bashed and held captive' by the accused man, 22, who was found in an alcove in the back of the car. It comes as local service station worker exclusively detailed the harrowing moment the backpacker walked into a nearby petrol station crying and 'shaking uncontrollably' moments before.
The tourist walked into a nearby petrol station with two black eyes and marks on her throat - distressed because she couldn't pay for the tank of petrol she had just put into the 4WD.
'She had two black eyes and marks down the side of her neck,' the worker told Daily Mail Australia.
This is the white 4WD police stopped in south-west Queensland on Sunday afternoon - finding a 22-year-old woman in extreme distress and a 22-year-old man in a back alcove
The inside of the 4WD is pictured here on Tuesday being held by police
A pile of clothing police will reportedly allege belonged to the man, 22, who has been charged with raping and beating the woman
Police believe the 22-year-old woman was in the four-wheel-drive on a trip from far north Queensland
Mitchell (pictured) is a rural town 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, Queensland
'She was crying. She was shaking uncontrollably...
'She had only just come in here and she couldn't pay for the fuel.'
The worker, who spoke to the woman for ten minutes that afternoon, asked what had happened to her and offered to call police on her behalf.
The staffer gave her several opportunities to find her wallet and call someone to pay the petrol bill on her behalf.
But then, the worker said, the backpacker allegedly got back in her car and took off.
The worker gave chase because she hadn't written down the number plate of the car.
And as the petrol station worker was driving up the road, she saw local police had pulled up doing random breath tests.
'I missed the number plate, I was going to try catch up to it and get the number plate.
'Anyway, Mitchell police had just pulled up up the street doing random breath tests (RBTs).
'I just told them this white Pajero had just taken off from the fuel station without paying.'
The petrol station worker alerted police setting up a roadside breath test near the National Australia Bank in Mitchell
The 22-year-old woman was rescued after a routine traffic stop in Queensland (Warrego Highway pictured)
A 22-year-old woman had serious facial injuries and was extremely distressed when police pulled over a four-wheel drive on the Warrego Highway (pictured) at Mitchell
Police said they pulled the car over about 15 minutes drive west along the Warrego Highway towards Charleville.
It was immediately clear to officers that something was very wrong and they soon found her alleged attacker, also 22, hiding in a storage alcove that had been built into the back of the vehicle.
Police will allege the woman met the Cairns man three months ago and they agreed to go on a road trip - one report saying the couple met at a 'bush doof' in late January.
But the trip quickly turned into a long, violent nightmare.
A 22-year-old British backpacker who was repeatedly raped, bashed and choked has been saved by a routine traffic stop near Mitchell, 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane (Mitchell train station pictured)
The 22-year-old man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda (pictured), has already faced a Roma court on charges including four counts of rape
The alleged offender is from Manunda, a suburb in Cairns, Queensland (Manunda pictured)
The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, has already faced a Roma court on charges including four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.
He's also facing drug charges. He was remanded in custody to face court May 23.
It's alleged he held the woman against her will and assaulted her at various locations across Queensland between January 2 and March 5.
Police pulled over the four-wheel drive about 5pm on Sunday, in what's been described as a random traffic stop.
When they approached the vehicle, they found the injured woman at the wheel.
'It appears she was terrified and not able to hide that,' police said.
The woman is being treated for facial fractures, bruises and cuts to her body in hospital.
Detective Inspector Paul Hart described what had happened to the woman as 'quite catastrophic'.
A police investigation is continuing.
The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda (pictured), has already faced court
Police will allege the woman met the Cairns man three months ago and they agreed to go on a road trip (Warrego Highway pictured)
Police found the woman in a four-wheel drive on the Warrego Highway at Mitchell
No comments:
Post a Comment