'He's going to kill us both': British backpacker describes terrifying roadtrip with 'alien' captor
A young British backpacker who was held captive inside a car for two hours by a man who "thought he was an alien" has said she feared he would force her into a "suicide pact".
Mary Kate Heys was finally rescued by police almost 100 kilometres north of the hostel where she had been staying in Queensland, after managing to contact her father in the UK.
"I was like, 'right, I’m in a bit of trouble here' because I literally thought 'he’s going to kill us both'. He was so erratic," the 20-year-old told 7 News.
While convincing her 22-year-old driver that she was using a GPS on her phone, Ms Heys urged her dad to call the Australian police with details of her location.
Mary Kate Heys got into a car with a Swedish traveller she had befriended at a Sunshine Coast hostel who believed he was an alien. Photo: Instagram
"He was talking about being an alien with such passion that I actually kind-of believed him," she said.
"I thought it could’ve been a suicide pact or something. He could've literally driven us into a lake or something."
A photo of the pair hanging out before the terrifying road trip. Source: 7 News
Ms Heys, who arrived in Australia just two weeks ago, met the Swedish traveller through mutual friends.
When the pair realised they were staying at the same Sunshine Coast hostel, they continued to hang out daily.
When Ms Heys realised she was in trouble, she sent panicked messages to her father in the UK, revealing her location. Photo: Instagram
Ms Heys said she heard a knock at her door on Tuesday morning and found the man standing at her door asking her to go to Brisbane with him.
But when the duo started to head towards Cairns, Ms Heys said she started to panic.
"This is when I started to freak out... I knew it wasn't going to be a nice trip to Brisbane," she said.
"When you see people in films with psychotic eyes... he was like that... he'd lost it."
Ms Heys' father Antony called Australian Police. Photo: Instagram
She tried to get help from an attendant at a service station and then texted her father in Manchester for help.
Ms Heys said her father did as she urged, and she continued to send her location details.
Police later intercepted the vehicle in Gympie, with Ms Heys leaping from the vehicle before it even stopped.
She had been staying in a Sunshine Coast hostel before she was allegedly kidnapped. Photo: Instagram
"I didn't even wait for it to stop moving, I just ran out because I was so terrified."
The man has been taken to hospital where he is being treated for a serious mental health condition.
Ms Heys said her friends have informed her that her captor had suffered from mental health issues in the past.
She has since withdrawn a police complaint against him.
The hostel where the duo were separately staying. Source: 7 News
"I didn't want him to go to jail, it's not the right place for him," she said.
The Queensland Police Service released a statement confirming the situation.
"Our information suggests a woman agreed to accompany a man to Brisbane from a Sunshine Coast hostel yesterday," the statement read.
The backpacker has since returned to Australia. Photo: Instagram
"A 22-year-old man was taken to hospital for medical treatment. A 20-year-old British national woman was not physically injured during the incident.
"She has withdrawn her complaint and therefore the police will take no further action in relation to this matter at this time."
