Falconio accused tells of 'drug run'

The man accused of murdering the British backpacker Peter Falconio in Australia has told prosecutors he has no idea how his DNA had been found on the T-shirt of Mr Falconio's girlfriend, Joanne Lees.

Mr Falconio was allegedly attacked near Alice Springs. He has not been seen since.

Bradley Murdoch, 47, denies killing Mr Falconio and abducting Ms Lees in July 2001. Ms Lees, 32, said she escaped from his vehicle.

As Ms Leesentered the court in Darwin yesterday she stopped twice to stare at the man she has accused of being the killer, before going to sit in the gallery.

Mr Murdoch said he had been in Alice Springs during the day, but left at 3.30pm on a typical drugs-running operation, on which he often took amphetamines to stay awake and carried guns for protection. He said that by the evening he was near the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu.

Mr Murdoch denied it was his vehicle caught on CCTV at a truck stop in Alice Springs on the night, or that he was the man in the footage. He admitted that he regularly changed his appearance, and that of his vehicle.

The trial was adjourned until today.