A British backpacker met her accused rapist at a "bush doof" and started dating him before he began raping, assaulting and keeping her captive, police allege.
The 22-year-old was allegedly raped four times, including twice on a 1600-kilometre road trip stretching from Cairns to Mitchell, in the southern Queensland outback, that would see police rescue her after a petrol drive-off.
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Backpacker's outback hostage ordeal
A 22-year-old British backpacker was allegedly "gagged", raped and physically assaulted during a month-long ordeal across Queensland. Vision courtesy Seven News Melbourne.
According to police, the pair first met on January 27 at a trance music festival or "bush doof" outside Cairns, before forming a "boyfriend-girlfriend relationship".
But it was just a few days later the 22-year-old New South Welshman, living in Cairns, allegedly began abusing the woman, who police said had been in Australia on a working visa since April 2015.
Charges including eight counts of assault and four counts of strangulation dated from February 3 to March 5.
Arresting officer Acting Sergeant David Harper said the pair only left Cairns about last week, with the woman doing the bulk of the driving against her will and the man occasionally hiding in an alcove in the Mitsubishi Pajero to avoid detection.
He said the man had aimed to make it to Charleville for a new job.
About 5pm Sunday, police pulled the car over on the Warrego Highway west of Mitchell after an alleged fuel drive-off from the town's Caltex service station and could immediately see something was wrong.
"Her demeanour and her injuries alerted police that there was something more to the story," Sergeant Harper said.
A worker from the petrol station said the young woman told the service station's boss she had no money and her ex-boyfriend had her purse.
"The boss thought the girl was running away from an abusive relationship," she said.
"She went back out to the car supposedly to ring someone and then drove away."
Police believed the woman had tried to escape her accused rapist but was unable to.
She had facial fractures, cuts and bruising and was taken to the police station, where Sergeant Harper said she told police about her alleged attacker.
"He was hiding in an alcove in the rear of the vehicle under a mattress," he said.
"The allegations (are) that he's made threats to her in relation to alerting any person or police."
The 22-year-old man, who can not be named for legal reasons, allegedly fought back when police tried to bring him into custody, physically resisting but not injuring any officers.
Police alleged the backpacker was held against her will across the course of the mammoth road trip, as well as during one terrifying day mid-February in a Cairns hotel room.
A man was hiding in the back of this car with a female visibly distressed after allegedly being taken hostage. More: https://t.co/1zAmdAdSJA pic.twitter.com/FTVJ3NGYfc
— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) March 7, 2017
"She was gagged at one point with a towel and the offender, by using threats, has caused her to remain in that room," he said.
"I can't really go into detail into the exact threats but he did verbally threaten and physically assault the victim."
The woman, from Liverpool in England, was being treated for her injuries and receiving support at the Roma Hospital.
She had been in touch with her parents, who were leaning toward having her return home, police said.
Sergeant Harper said the accused rapist had been wanted in New South Wales but did not have any outstanding warrants in Queensland and police were only alerted to the situation after the traffic stop.
The accused was refused bail in the Roma Magistrates Court and remanded in custody until his next appearance on May 23.
-Â With AAP
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