In reply to Timmd:
How interesting. It's quite extraordinary the extent to which editing film can change its impact, and us, the viewers, generally all unknowing. We don't that often see full versions followed by cut versions, so we aren't very wise to the extent to which our outlook is manipulated.
John Cox, you ask about the media reports: I've not read about the case in the papers, only on the bbc website, and only relatively recently. Without being aware there had been any criticism of the press I picked up on an odd flavour in the reports, mainly because they kept using the word 'lover' to describe her, whereas you'd expect gf, or maybe partner. It's an ever so subtle oddity, but it's a word that does create a very different impression from gf. 'Lover' suggests sex, suggests passion, and everyone knows passion can go badly wrong at times ... I would suggest that the journalists using that word know full well how language can shift our perceptions ... it's their job to, after all.... and make the choice quite deliberately.
I can't see why anyone finds anything surprising about the case at all: sexual violence isn't rare, and what better place to abduct with impunity than the outback? It's just where I'd choose if I was wanting to get away with murder. And why would the lack of a body be surprising, in a place that is a) huge and therefore impossible to search and b) the habitat of fair sized carnivores?
And, of course, statistically people are more likely to kill their partners than strangers, but that's really rather irrelevant, strangers do murder after all. And in love relationships, who kills, and when? The common behaviour is to kill your lover when you become aware that _they_ are cheating, there's really not much sense in killing the bf you're getting bored with, is there?
The fact that her memory of events is faulty might seem odd (and thus suspicious) to us, but I don't think it is in reality odd ... consider Richard Cazaly who the CPS have apparently decided was the attacker of Abigail Witchalls as the evidence seems to point pretty conclusively to him ... and yet she described his earrings all wrong.
I should imagine that when you're being attacked and fighting for your life with all the wits you can muster, the last thing you'll be wasting brain space on is noting down exactly what someone looked like, or where in their truck they were shoving you.