British woman allegedly kidnapped, raped in weeks-long Australian Outback ordeal

A British backpacker was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks in the Australian Outback before being rescued by police who pulled over the car she was driving, officials said on Tuesday.

Queensland state police officers noticed the 22-year-old woman had facial injuries and appeared distressed when they stopped the four-wheel drive along a highway in the rural town of Mitchell on Sunday. The officers then searched the vehicle and found a 22-year-old man hiding in a storage alcove in the back, police said.

Police stopped the car because they had received a report of a driver leaving a service station without paying for gas, Detective Inspector Paul Hart said.

“What she’s experienced is no doubt horrific and terrifying and we commend her for taking the opportunity to speak to our police,” Hart said.

Police say the two had met three months earlier in the northeast city of Cairns, where the man lived, and started a relationship. But in January, police say, the man began subjecting the woman to a series of violent assaults.

The attacks occurred at various locations as the pair travelled the nearly 1,400km between Cairns and the Outback town of Roma, police spokesman CJ Roberts said.