Man charged after British woman, 22, ‘held hostage’ in outback

A 22-YEAR-OLD British backpacker was allegedly held hostage in outback Australia for two months and repeatedly raped, bashed and strangled before being rescued by police during a random traffic stop.

The court in Roma, a town near Mitchell, heard yesterday that the woman was taken captive by a 22-year-old man after the pair met in the Queensland coastal city of Cairns and agreed to go on a road trip.

The man allegedly held her between January 2 and last Sunday at various locations across Queensland.

She was rescued after police stopped a four-wheeldrive vehicle on Sunday near Mitchell, about 900 miles south of Cairns.

Police said they noticed she was “visibly distressed and had injuries to her face”. The man was later allegedly found hiding in a storage alcove built in the back of the car. “It appears she was terrified and not able to hide that,” police said.

The man, from Cairns, faced court on charges in- cluding four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty. He is also facing drug charges.

The man’s name is Marcus Martin, the court told The Daily Telegraph, adding that he is being held in prison in Queensland. He applied for bail but it was refused, the court said.

Police said the woman was treated for “non-life threatening injuries including facial fractures, bruising and cuts to her body”.