The girlfriend of a British backpacker believed murdered in the Australian Outback underwent hypnotherapy to try to dredge up more evidence for police hunting the killer, a policewoman told a court today.
Australian mechanic Mr Bradley John Murdoch is accused of murdering Peter Falconio on July 14th, 2001, and abducting and assaulting Mr Falconio's girlfriend, Ms Joanne Lees.
He is facing a hearing in the northern city of Darwin to establish if evidence against him is strong enough to send to a jury trial.
Ms Lees, from Brighton, was hypnotised in the weeks after Mr Falconio's alleged murder, Supt Jeanette Kerr told Darwin Magistrates Court. "It was an attempt to try and get more information from Ms Lees in relation to the offender of the matter," Supt Kerr said.
It was unclear if investigators gained any new information from Ms Lees under hypnosis.
Supt Kerr said police missed important evidence in initial searches of the crime scene - duct tape believed to have been used as handcuffs to restrain Ms Lees, until she stumbled upon it three months later.
Supt Kerr said she was visiting the crime scene near the isolated Outback community of Barrow Creek in central Australia in October 2001 and looked at the tree Ms Lees claimed she hid behind after escaping her attacker.
"I approached the tree and bent down to walk under the tree and as I bent down . . . I saw two pieces of black tape on the ground," Supt Kerr said.
"I immediately believed that they were the two pieces of black tape Ms Lees had described as biting off the manacles that she was restrained with." Asked if she considered the tape to be relevant, Supt Kerr replied: "Absolutely".
Crime Scene Examiner Mr Ian Spilsbury then searched the area under the tree and found a lip balm stick that Ms Lees said she used to try to lubricate her wrists to remove her restraints while under the tree, she said.
The tape and lip balm were discovered three months after police searched the area and found the white lid of the lip balm, the court has been told. During today's proceeding, Mr Murdoch asked to inspect the lip balm.
AP