Phone call adds lead in Lapthorne case

(AAP) An anonymous caller has told Britt Lapthorne's family a woman tried to post an Australian passport after the backpacker had disappeared.

Her father Dale said staff at Dubrovnik's Berkeley Hotel, where he is staying while
trying to find his missing daughter, took the call on Saturday night from a man
speaking in Croatian.
Mr Lapthorne said the caller suggested the woman who helps run the private hostel
where the 21-year-old backpacker had been staying tried to post an Australian
passport on September 18.
Ms Lapthorne was last seen in the Croatian coastal resort of Dubrovnik in the early
hours of that day at the Latino Club Fuego nightclub.
"(The call) was about a woman identified as the hostel owner's mother trying to post
an Australian passport," Mr Lapthorne told Australian television.
The woman left with the passport when she was told she could not send it through the
post.
"We didn't get full details because the caller eventually cut off, but the details
of the attempted posting of an Australian passport on the morning of September 18
are quite significant," Mr Lapthorne told the Nine Network.
"The person who attempted to post the passport would have had access to Britt's
passport."
Mr Lapthorne said the family had a glimmer of hope his daughter was alive because
her body had not been found and called on anyone holding her captive to return her
safely.
"They may have ulterior motives, they may see some monetary value in it," Mr
Lapthorne said.
"I'm interested in getting my daughter and if they're looking for a reward, it will
only be after the safe delivery of my daughter, the return of my daughter. It will
not be beforehand.
"There will be no advance. I'm not going to have somebody who is of a deceptive mind
try to just take a reward and leave us with nothing."
The family had received no information from local authorities in the past 24 hours
because the Dubrovnik police station is closed on a Sunday.
They have hired a private investigator to help find clues.
Mr Lapthorne said he was afraid local police were waiting for the Australian media
to leave Dubrovnik so that they could wash their hands of the case.
He expressed disappointment at a lack of support from Australian police.
He said an Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer sent to Croatia had yet to
contact him after arriving five days ago.
"He is a phantom," Mr Lapthorne said.
But the AFP disputed the claims, saying the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
was providing consular assistance to the Lapthorne family via the AFP liaison
officer's daily meetings with Croatian police officers.
"The primary role of the AFP officer in Croatia is to liaise with the Croatian
police on law enforcement matters," the spokeswoman said.
"The responsibility for the conduct of the investigation into the matter of Britt
Lapthorne lies with the Croatian police.
"So far, the AFP liaison officer in Croatia has established a direct line of
communications between the AFP and Croatia police, extended an open offer of full
support and access to AFP resources as required and negotiated the appointment of a
full-time Croatia police liaison officer to the Lapthorne family in Dubrovnik."
On Saturday, Mr Lapthorne and his son emerged from an unfruitful meeting with local
police, who revealed little information about the
investigation.
Despite their ongoing frustrations with Croatian and Australian authorities, Mr
Lapthorne has remained steadfastly composed since flying into Dubrovnik from
Melbourne on Friday.
But he said it was a facade.
"I'm shaking like a leaf, my stomach is churning.
"When you feel you're not making any progress and you feel it's just going to fall
in a hole, it's almost like the initial news we received, it's totally
gut-wrenching.
"I've had people say, `you're remarkably strong and calm'. It's adrenaline driven, I
have to do it."