Man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio dies

Bradley Murdoch, the Australian man convicted of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, has died from terminal throat cancer.

Murdoch, 67, was serving a life sentence at a prison in Alice Springs, in Australia's Northern Territory.

The Northern Territory Department of Corrections told the BBC that Murdoch died in Alice Spring Hospital's palliative care unit, on 15 July, a day after the 24th anniversary of the killing.

In a statement, the Northern Territory Police Force said: "It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch has died without, as far as we are aware, ever disclosing the location of Peter Falconio's remains."

Murdoch's death will be subject to investigation by the Northern Territory Coroner, officials added.

In 2005, Murdoch was convicted of murdering Mr Falconio, from Yorkshire, but had never revealed the location of his body.

Mr Falconio was shot dead on a remote stretch of highway near the Northern Territory town of Barrow Creek, about 300km (186 miles) north of Alice Springs in July 2001.

Murdoch pulled up beside Mr Falconio's vehicle claiming to have seen sparks coming from their camper van.

He shot Mr Falconio in the head as he inspected the vehicle, before taking 28-year-old Joanne Lees, Mr Falconio's girlfriend at the time, into his car and binding her wrists with cable ties.

Murdoch was also convicted of the attempted kidnap and assault of Ms Lees, also from Yorkshire, who managed to escape by hiding in outback scrub for several hours before she was able to signal for help.

"[Murdoch's] silence has denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved. Our thoughts are with the Falconio family in the United Kingdom, whose grief continues," the Northern Territory Police Force said.

The ordeal partly inspired the 2001 horror film Wolf Creek.

Murdoch was 43 when he committed the crimes.

During his trial, prosecutors said that Murdoch was likely to have disposed of Mr Falconio's body somewhere in the vast expanse of wilderness between Alice Springs and Broome, a distance of nearly 1,600km (1,000 miles).

In 2016, the Northern Territory introduced "no body, no parole" legislation, meaning Murdoch would not have been eligible for parole in 2032 if he did not reveal the location of Mr Falconio's body.

Murdoch had always maintained his innocence, and unsuccessfully appealed to overturn his convictions twice.

In an interview with local newspaper NT News published this week, Mr Falconio's father, Luciano, said "I wish I could find him and make an end to it, bury him".

"I know what happened but I don't know where he is," Luciano said.

The Northern Territory Police Force said they remain "committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation", and reiterated that a reward of up to A$500,000 (£240,000) is available for information leading to the discovery of the remains of the murdered British backpacker.

Acting Commander Mark Grieve of Northern Territory Police told a press conference in late June that police had "made numerous approaches" to Murdoch, but that "unfortunately... on all occasions he has chosen not to engage with police".