British backpacker in Australia rescued after texting location to father

A British backpacker who says she was held against her will during a car trip in Australia was rescued after texting her location to her father in England. Mary Kate Heys, 20, had agreed to ride with a man from their hostel in south-east Queensland to Brisbane.

But when he drove in the opposite direction and refused to allow her out, she told her father to call police. Police intercepted the pair at Gympie, 90km (55 miles) from the hostel, after her father contacted them.

The 22-year-old driver, from Sweden, was arrested and taken to hospital for medical treatment. He will not face charges as Ms Heys withdrew her complaint against him, police said.

'I was so scared'

Ms Heys, from Manchester, told local media that the man woke her at 04:30 local time on Monday (18:30 GMT on Sunday) at the Mooloolaba hostel, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

She said she initially agreed to go on a road trip with him out of concern for his wellbeing.

But she said she began to feel unsafe when he changed the plan and said they should drive to Far North Queensland.

"I was so scared and I thought I was going to die," Ms Heys told the Courier-Mail newspaper.

She repeatedly sent her father her location, as well as messages reading: "I need you to call Australian Police" and "I've been taken by a man… please hurry".