A Liverpool woman was repeatedly raped during a two-month hostage ordeal in Australia.
Police uncovered the 22-year-old’s ordeal on Sunday after she had driven away from a petrol station in Mitchell, western Queensland without paying.
The woman, who cannot be named, suffered a number of serious facial injuries and was in a distressed state when she came to the attention of local officers.
A 22-year-old man appeared in court on Monday charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation and two of deprivation of liberty.
He was found in a storage space that had been built into the car she was driving.
Police confirmed that the woman had been working in Australia on a visa since 2015 and believe she met her alleged attacker at a party in Cairns in January.
The pair agreed to go on a road trip together and began a relationship but the man is said to have begun abusing the woman and holding her against her will.