British backpacker was allegedly held hostage, raped and beaten at the hands of her ex-boyfriend in the Australian outback

A British backpacker who was allegedly held hostage, raped and beaten at the hands of her ex-boyfriend had walked into a petrol station in a 'zombie-like state' shortly before she was rescued.

Police allege the 22-year-old woman, from Liverpool, in England, was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' by the man, also aged 22, for two months.

A friend of the tourist described how the alleged attacker became 'clingy' after 'latching onto the first single girl he met' and changed his Facebook relationship to 'married' shortly after they started dating.

On Sunday, service station manager Beverley Page alerted police when the alleged victim wandered into the store with black eyes and marks on her throat.

The young woman told Ms Page she was unable to pay for the fuel she had already put into the car.

Ms Page told Daily Mail Australia the backpacker was in a 'state of shock when she came in, almost zombie like.

'Then she walked in, wearing a black summer dress and said she couldn't pay for the fuel. Tears were running down her face,' she said.

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A British backpacker (pictured on CCTV) who was allegedly held hostage, raped and beaten walked into a petrol station in a 'zombie-like state' shortly before she was rescued

The young woman told the service station manager she was unable to pay for the fuel she had already put into the car

Service station manager Beverley Page (pictured) alerted police when the alleged victim wandered into the store with black eyes and marks on her throat

'But what struck me were her black eyes. She looked bad. She was nervous and shaking and I thought her behaviour was because she couldn't pay for the fuel.

'She was like a person in a trance. I was very concerned about her.'

Moments later, the tourist allegedly got back into the car and took off without paying, prompting Ms Page to alert authorities.

The horror road trip finally came to an end when she was rescued by police after being pulled over nearby during a routine traffic stop at Mitchell in Queensland.

The woman - who is recovering in hospital - was found in a state of distress and suffering from injuries, including facial fractures.

The British backpacker (left) walked into a petrol station crying and 'shaking uncontrollably' shortly before she was rescued in what her 27-year-old friend (right) described as a 'brilliant cry for help' which led to her being saved

Footage shows the 22-year-old woman break down in tears as she attempts to pay at the service station before she gets back into a car

The concerned worker said the backpacker got back in her car and took off, which prompted her to alert police

A concerned friend, 27, told Daily Mail Australia the British backpacker had known her alleged attacker for just one and a half weeks before he changed his Facebook profile to 'married'.

'He was really clingy it was like he just blew in to town and latched on to the first single girl,' he claimed.

'When he changed his relationship status on Facebook I thought it was too fast - she never changed hers.'

Earlier on Tuesday, photographs emerged showing the inside of the SUV where the tourist was allegedly held captive during the horrific ordeal.

Her accused captor was found in an alcove built in the back of the white Mitsubishi Pajero, hidden underneath clothes and 'other items'.

On Sunday, service station manager Beverley Page (pictured) alerted police when the alleged victim wandered into the store with black eyes and marks on her throat

The British backpacker's alleged attacker is pictured lying on his back with arms out on the bonnet of a white car

Police allege the 22-year-old woman, from Liverpool, in England, was 'raped four times, bashed and held captive' by the man, also aged 22, for two months

The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty

The alleged attacker (pictured) was described as 'clingy from the start' by a friend of the alleged victim after he met the tourist on Australia Day

Investigators claimed the couple had met in January at a 'bush doof', a popular outdoor dance party, in Cairns and had agreed to go on a road trip together.

TIMELINE OF THE HORROR ROAD TRIP JANUARY AUSTRALIA DAY WEEKEND: British backpacker meets man, 22, at a 'bush doof' party in Cairns FEBRUARY Police alleged the 22-year-old tourist was raped in a Cairns hotel room MARCH 1-5 The woman was allegedly forced to drive the suspect around as they travelled south. She was allegedly beaten and repeatedly raped MARCH 5 The woman was rescued after being pulled over by police. The man was arrested and charged Advertisement

But a court in Roma heard on Monday that the woman was held against her will by the man between January 2 and March 5, as they made their way across Queensland.

Ms Page told Daily Mail the woman filled up the SUV with $60 worth of petrol.

'If she'd paid for the fuel and gone on her way heaven knows what would have happened to her,' she said.

The backpacker told the cashier she could not pay for the petrol because her ex-boyfriend had her wallet and credit cards.

Ms Page informed the woman if she could not get in touch with him to arrange a payment or get her wallet back, she would be forced to call the police.

At this point, the backpacker walked out to the forecourt, got back in her car and drove away.

'I made the decision to follow her because I thought that if I could get the registration number I'd be able to file a report to the police,' Ms Page said.

This is the white 4WD police stopped in south-west Queensland on Sunday afternoon - finding a 22-year-old woman in extreme distress and a 22-year-old man in a back alcove

Police believe the woman was in the four-wheel-drive on a trip from far north Queensland

'I couldn't ring the police because it's very difficult to raise anyone in this area and you can't the emergency triple-0 number to report a drive-away,' the petrol station owner added.

'But it so happened that the local police were parked at the end of the street, so I pulled over and told them what had happened and they said they would drive after her. That's when they stopped the vehicle and found the man at the back.

'She had a chance when she was speaking to me of telling me what she was going through but she made no mention of it.'

Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Page told of the moment the woman walked into a petrol station crying and 'shaking uncontrollably' shortly before she was rescued.

The inside of the 4WD is pictured here on Tuesday being held by police

A pile of clothing police will reportedly allege belonged to the man, 22, who has been charged with raping and beating the woman

The woman was distressed because she could not pay for the tank of petrol she had put into the car.

'She had two black eyes and marks down the side of her neck,' Ms Page told Daily Mail Australia.

'She was crying. She was shaking uncontrollably. She had only just come in here and she couldn't pay for the fuel.

'I was very concerned about her, but I didn't expect her to just walk out, get in the vehicle and drive off.

'It was as well that she did. If she had been able to pay for the fuel I might not have interfered with her life and she would have gone off and who knows?'

The SUV allegedly at the centre of the woman's horrific ordeal was filled with cubbyholes to hide and has been seized by police as the investigation continues

Jump-start cables and blankets piled up on a makeshift bed in the back of the white Mitsubishi

A police officer investigates the Mitsubishi Pajero SUV that the victim filled with fuel

Backpacker's 'stunt at the petrol station was a brilliant cry for help', as her concerned friend reveals ex-boyfriend was 'clingy from the start' A concerned friend of the 22-year-old Brit who was allegedly held against her will by a man she 'met at a doof over the Australia Day weekend' has described how the man was 'clingy from the start'. The 27-year-old friend told Daily Mail Australia he believes the 'stunt at the petrol station' where the young woman is accused of failing to pay for petrol was just a 'brilliant cry for help'. The young British backpacker had known her alleged attacker for just one and a half weeks before he changed his Facebook profile to 'married'. 'He was really clingy it was like he just blew in to town and latched on to the first single girl,' he claimed. 'When he changed his relationship status on Facebook I thought it was too fast - she never changed hers.' He met the 22-year-old man through his British friend a hand full of times and even had him over to his place. 'He would try to sell me a bike every week - but as far as I could tell he didn't own anything,' he said. The friend claimed the backpacker had been living out of her alleged attacker's car - and when she went missing two weeks ago it 'wasn't out of character'. 'I didn't worry too much because going away for a few weeks was normal for her,' he said. 'I tried calling her a few times but couldn't get through. 'I have spoken to her aunt from the UK since.' The friend, who met the young woman at a pub in Cairns just before Christmas, described her as a nice girl who was 'very trusting'. Advertisement

The worker, who spoke to the woman for ten minutes that afternoon, asked what had happened to her and offered to call police on her behalf.

Ms Page gave her several opportunities to find her wallet and call someone to pay for the petrol bill on her behalf.

But then the backpacker allegedly got back in her car and took off.

Ms Page gave chase because she had not written down the number plate of the car.

And as she was driving up the road, she saw local police had pulled up doing random breath tests.

'I missed the number plate, I was going to try catch up to it and get the number plate,' she said.

'Mitchell police had just pulled up up the street doing random breath tests. I just told them this white Pajero had just taken off from the fuel station without paying.'

The Australian Outback petrol station (pictured above) where the tourist wandered in on Sunday

The roadhouse where the young woman pulled up before she filling up the SUV on Sunday is pictured above

The pair allegedly met in January at a dance party in Cairns. From there, they allegedly embarked on a road trip together between Cairns and Roma - before they were pulled over in Mitchell, a rural town 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, Queensland on Sunday

Police said they pulled the car over about 15 minute-drive west along the Warrego Highway towards Charleville.

It was immediately clear to officers that something was wrong and they soon found her alleged captor hiding in an alcove that had been built into the back of the car.

The man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda, was charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation, and two of deprivation of liberty.

He was remanded in custody to face court on May 23.

Police pulled over the four-wheel drive about 5pm on Sunday, in what's been described as a random traffic stop.

Pictured: The area on the Warrego Highway between Mitchell and Roma where police stopped the vehicle after receiving a tip-off from the petrol station owner

Police will allege the woman met the Cairns man three months ago and they agreed to go on a road trip (pictured of the Warrego Highway where the woman was pulled over)

The 22-year-old man, from the Cairns suburb of Manunda (pictured), has already faced a Roma court on charges including four counts of rape

When they approached the vehicle, they found the injured woman at the wheel. 'It appears she was terrified and not able to hide that,' police said.

The woman is being treated for facial fractures, bruises and cuts to her body in hospital.

Detective Inspector Paul Hart described what had happened to the woman as 'quite catastrophic'.

'We have potentially saved this young girl's life, given what's happened to her, the extent of what's happened and over the period of time, anything may have transpired,' he said.

The pair allegedly embarked on a road trip between Cairns and the Outback town of Roma.

'They have formed some sort of relationship,' Det Insp Hart said.

'By her account, that has soured to the point that while they were travelling around she has tried to leave but was held against her will.

'From our investigations it would seem as they have been living in that vehicle and we'll be alleging that they've travelled throughout different parts of the state with her basically been told to take him to different locations.'

A police investigation is continuing.