A British backpacker was sexually assaulted and held captive for weeks in the Australian Outback before being rescued by police who pulled over the car she was driving, officials said Tuesday. The officers then searched the vehicle and found a 22-year-old man hiding in a storage alcove in the back, police said. Police stopped the car because they had received a report of a driver leaving a service station without paying for gas, Detective Inspector Paul Hart said. But in January, police say, the man began subjecting the woman to a series of violent assaults. A 60-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder, assault and kidnapping in that case goes on trial this week.

Source: National Post March 07, 2017 13:07 UTC