Elisha Greer was 24 years old when she came to Australia on a backpacking adventure. Photo / Facebook
Elisha Greer was 24 years old when she came to Australia on a backpacking adventure. Photo / Facebook
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime to a country she'd always wanted to visit.
But instead, Elisha Greer's backpacking adventure through the Australian outback turned in to a nightmare at the hands of 23-year-old Marcus Martin.
Greer, from Liverpool in England, was on a road-trip through Queensland when she met Martin at an Australia Day celebration in Cairns.
Heavily tattooed, Martin and Greer hit it off at the party, and decided to start a road-trip together.
But the fun soon turned in to a horror story for the 21-year-old tourist, when she quickly became held against her will while travelling with the "utterly crazy" man.
Backpacker Elisha Greer was held against her will after meeting Martin Marcus at a party in Cairns. Photo / Facebook
Greer, who will appear on Channel 7's Sunday Night programme, was lured in and held captive by Martin for a terrifying two months while the pair travelled more than 1600km through the outback.
At first, however, Greer said Martin "seemed fun" and "didn't seem like a psycho". But that quickly changed.
Martin raped Greer in what police say was a "horrific and terrifying" experience for the young backpacker. He also damaged her passport to dissuade her from escaping his car.
"He was crazy," Greer said during a preview for her interview with Melissa Doyle.
"Completely and utterly crazy."
Marcus Martin is accused of the kidnap and rape of British backpacker, Elisha Greer. Photo / Supplied
Greer's disappearance made international headlines, but it was her fight for survival that shocked the world.
The woman had been driving a white Mitsubishi Pajero in Mitchell, south central Queensland, when she stopped at a petrol station to fill up the car.
But instead of paying, a petrol station attendant noticed something was wrong with Greer, and called police.
The assistant claimed Greer had been "in a state of shock" and "zombie-like" as she came in to the petrol station, and eventually drove off without paying for the tank of fuel.
In an interview with the ABC, the service station owner Beverly Page said Greer had been crying and was distressed when she pulled in to refuel.
"To see a young girl that upset, and with black eyes. She had said she had come from England. To know that she was over here and she didn't have anyone to contact," Page said.
While driving away, Greer was pulled over by police officers at a traffic stop with her captor hiding in the back of the vehicle.
"I was forced to drive the car with a gun to my head," she explained of the two-month road-trip, believing Martin would eventually kill her.
When police approached the vehicle, they reportedly found Greer in the driver's seat, stating she appeared "terrified" behind the wheel.
Elisha Greer was held captive for two months by a man she met in Cairns. Photo / Supplied
Martin, who pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty at the Cairns District Court in north Queensland in October 2018, will be sentenced on May 28.
He had previously pleaded guilty to other charges, including assault occasioning bodily harm, wilful damage, and strangulation or choking.
Prosecutors dropped 10 other charges – eight of rape, one of serious cruelty to animals, and one of torture.
Greer said she doesn't want to be known as a victim after what happened to her, but rather a survivor of abuse and an inspiration to others.
"I don't want people thinking I am a victim when I'm not," she told news.com.au.
