MITCHELL, AUSTRALIA — A 22-year-old British backpacker was allegedly beaten and raped by her Australian ex-boyfriend as she was held captive for more than two months on a road trip from hell. <br /> <br />The woman from Liverpool met the suspect, also aged 22, in January at a “bush doof,” an outdoor dance party near the northeastern city of Cairns, the Telegraph reported. <br /> <br />They became romantically involved, but friends of the victim said the man was a clingy boyfriend who latched on to the first single woman who crossed his path. Just one week after they’d met, the alleged attacker changed his Facebook status to “married.” <br /> <br />Sadly, that big red flag was a sign of more sinister events to come, as the couple set off on a road trip in a white Mitsubishi four-wheel drive. <br /> <br />For two months, the victim was reportedly brutalized on a hellish thousand-mile journey through the Australian Outback. <br /> <br />Salvation finally came on Sunday, when the woman visited a gas station in the Queensland town of Mitchell. <br /> <br />Showing visible signs of having been attacked, the woman left the gas station without paying. The gas station attendant said the victim seemed in a state of shock and had explained that she couldn’t afford to pay. <br /> <br />The attendant called the cops, who pulled the white Mitsubishi over shortly afterward. Police found the alleged attacker hiding in a secret compartment in the back of the vehicle. <br /> <br />He has been charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, two counts of deprivation of liberty, and possession of drugs.
