Joanne Lees
Joanne Lees | |
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Born | Joanne Rachael Lees 25 September 1973 Peter Falconio (1996–2001; his death) |
Joanne Rachael Lees (born 25 September 1973
Early life
Lees was born on 25 September 1973, and lived her first 11 years with her mother Jenny (who had separated from her father).[2] Her mother then remarried Vincent, who already had a son named Sam, and the new family of four lived in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. During high school and later studies, she had several part-time jobs as a barmaid, and bacon packer, before securing a job at her local Thomas Cook travel agency.[2]
Lees first met Falconio in a nightclub in Huddersfield in 1996 and began living with him the following year in Brighton, England where Falconio was studying at Brighton University.[citation needed] She then transferred her job to a local Cook agency, before the couple took short trips to Italy, Greece, and Jamaica.[2] From 1998, the couple had planned a trip to Thailand, Singapore, and Australia (though recent news of the backpacker murders, Port Arthur killings, and Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire there had made their families anxious).[2] On 15 November 2000, the couple departed, travelling through Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia (where Lees' traveller's cheques and return ticket were stolen).[citation needed]
By 16 January 2001, they arrived in Sydney on a
Falconio murder
Falconio and Lees were travelling at night along the
In the aftermath of attack, Lees was both supported and suspected by the media (as had happened in
Media coverage
Lees agreed to an interview with Martin Bashir, which was later televised in Australia, for which she was paid £50,000. She later testified in court that she had agreed to this interview to raise awareness of the case in Australia, as she felt the public profile of the case had diminished.[5]
Lees wrote No Turning Back, a book about her life. She went to the UK for the launch of the book in October 2006 and a serialisation appeared in
In July 2011, Lees was interviewed by Australia's Woman's Day in the lead-up to the tenth anniversary of the murder of Peter Falconio. She stated that she was still single and living a solitary life, and had worked at a travel agency and as a social worker with disabled people. She had also studied sociology at Sheffield University.[10]
On 12 February 2017, Australia's Nine Network presented a 60 Minutes extended interview with Joanne Lees who "is determined to honour her partner's memory by confronting the awful past." Australian sculptor Ewen Coates is working with Lees to construct a memorial for Falconio at the crime scene.[11]
Telefilm
In March 2007,
References
- ^ Dougary, Ginny.Joanne Lees: My Story. "She turned 33 on September 25 [2006]"
- ^ a b c d e f "Case 44: Peter Falconio – Casefile: True Crime Podcast". Casefile: True Crime Podcast. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ Murdoch, Lindsay (19 October 2005). "Lees relives night she feared she'd die". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "'I thought I was going to die', says sobbing Lees". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 October 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "'Flaws' in evidence of Outback murder victim's girlfriend". The Telegraph. 20 October 2005.
- ^ "Murder in the outback". The Times. London. 2 October 2006.
- ^ Enough Rope with Andrew Denton - episode 124: Joanne Lees (09/10/2006)
- ^ James Delingpole. "Joanne deserves more than scorn". The First Post. Archived from the original on 12 October 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
- ^ "Lees attacks 'sensational' media". BBC. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
- ^ "Joanne Lees still single ten years after murder of boyfriend Peter Falconio". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ Why Joanne Lees is creating a memorial for Peter Falconio at 9now.com.au, February 2017