Joanne Lees: I have a long lost sister ... and she lives in Australia
AFTER the murder of her boyfriend Peter Falconio in the Australian Outback, Joanne Lees vowed never to return to the country.
But when she researched her family history, the 43-year-old discovered a long lost sister Down Under – and the pair have now come face to face.
Mr Falconio, 28, was shot in the head by Bradley Murdoch after the couple were tricked into stopping their camper van on a remote stretch of highway in 2001.
Miss Lees was threatened with a gun, punched in the head and tied up before she managed to escape.
Murdoch is believed to have hidden Mr Falconio’s body, which has never been found.
Miss Lees said she had ‘never wanted to come back to Australia again… never wanted to hear an Australian accent.’ But in a surprising turn of events, she discovered she had a half-sister – whom she describes as her ‘mirror image’ – last year when researching her Australian father’s family ties.
And now she is even applying for Australian citizenship.
Miss Lees, who grew up in Huddersfield with her single mother and had believed she was an only child, said: ‘I feel less alone in the world. When wonderful things happen in the world I want to share them with Jess.’
Jess, who lives in Sydney, was travelling outside Australia when Miss Lees’ life was turned upside down more than 15 years ago, and had no idea about the case.
But after discovering what her sister went through, Jess, 35, told Joanne she ‘should have been there’ for her. ‘I was quite heartbroken,’ she added. ‘I had no idea.’
On the resemblance between the pair, Miss Lees said people often say: ‘Oh, you can tell you’re sisters.’
Speaking to the Australian programme 60 Minutes, she added: ‘To us, the novelty has definitely not worn off – we’re still in celebration mode of finding each other.’
The show also revealed clips from a police interview which suggested officers viewed her as a suspect in the days following the murder. ‘You think I did this don’t you?’ she protested. ‘I haven’t been involved at all… I’m not involved and I didn’t murder Pete.’
Miss Lees told the programme: ‘It was like a stab to the heart – they weren’t looking for the people that had committed the crime.’
Murdoch was convicted of murder in 2005 and is currently serving a life sentence in Australia.
Miss Lees said she still weeps when she thinks about the horrific attack at Barrow Creek, north of Alice Springs. She said: ‘Pete lost his life that night and I lost mine, too – a future life with Pete.’
Miss Lees said she is still determined to find her boyfriend’s body in order to take him home.
She said: ‘He has not had a proper goodbye. He deserves that.’