Falconio's girlfriend called back to the witness box

The girlfriend of the missing British backpacker Peter Falconio has made a surprise return to the witness box for further questioning by the defence at the trial of the man accused of his murder.

Joanne Lees has already given several hours of evidence in the trial of Bradley Murdoch, the mechanic said to have murdered Mr Falconio, 28, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and abducting Ms Lees, 32, from Brighton, after flagging down their camper van on a highway in the Australian outback in July 2001.

Mr Murdoch is accused of shooting Mr Falconio before threatening Ms Lees with a gun to her head and tying her hands behind her back. Ms Lees has already described to the court in detail how she freed herself and escaped from his truck. She hid in the bush for several hours before being rescued by a passing road train.

During her brief return to the witness box in the court in Darwin yesterday, Ms Lees was closely questioned about comments she is said to have made to police in Alice Springs, a few days after the incident. She was asked whether she had told the female police officer that she had a "strong feeling" that the gunman's vehicle had shelving and bottles in the back. Ms Lees said that she had not, adding: "It seems to me a description of shelving in my Kombi [camper van]."

She was later shown a copy of the police officer's notes with her initials on the back and agreed it was her signature. Pressed on how the signature came to be there, she said: "They are my initials but I don't remember reading them [the notes] before."

Ms Lees also insisted that she did not talk to the officer about the truck, only the police artist who drew the vehicle.

The prosecution is due to complete its case against Mr Murdoch shortly.