Peter Falconio murder: Police deny human remains found after 'link' to backpacker's killing

No human remains have been found, according to Australian police, despite reports linking an alleged discovery to the case of a murdered British backpacker.

Peter Falconio, 28, was shot dead on a remote highway near Barrow Creek in the Northern Territory on 14 July 2001.

Bradley Murdoch was convicted four years later of killing Mr Falconio and assaulting his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, at gunpoint during the ambush.

Media reports emerged on Friday suggesting human remains had been found in the outback near Alice Springs - around 200 miles south of Barrow Creek.

The Sydney Morning Herald said they would be "cross-checked against the Falconio case because of their age and location".

But Northern Territory Police said the reports are "factually incorrect" and a search is "not currently being conducted".

Assistant Commissioner Michael White said in a statement: "Northern Territory Police would like to advise the public that speculating on the identity on any missing person causes unwarranted grief and trauma to the family and friends."

Murdoch is serving a life sentence with a 28-year non-parole period but he has never said where Mr Falconio's body is hidden.

Police launched a fresh appeal for information to help find the backpacker's remains in 2021, some 20 years after his murder.