Aslan King: Brit found dead in Australia ‘sprinted’ into bush after hitting head during camping trip

Benedict Moore-Bridger26 November 2019

A British man who “sprinted” into the Australian bush after hitting his head during a camping trip has been found dead following a three-day search, police said today.

The body of Aslan King, 25, was discovered this morning in a creek near to where he had been staying in Princetown, a tourist destination on the Victoria coast, about 150 miles south-west of Melbourne.

Mr King, an illustrator and print-maker from Brighton, moved to Australia just two weeks ago and was said to have been on a “trip of a lifetime”.

Authorities said he had been drinking with four friends when he hit his head on the ground about 2am on Saturday and suffered a suspected seizure.

Aslan King has been found dead after a three-day search
PA

He then ran suddenly into thick bushland surrounding the campsite and might have been disoriented, police said.

David Lindsay, who lives in the area, said: “[His friends] said he just got up and sprinted. By the time they grabbed torches and their phones he was gone. They were all really worried and concerned. They all looked like ghosts.”

Dozens of people were involved in the search near the Twelve Apostles beauty spot. A helicopter, horses, boats, motorcycles and sniffer dogs were all involved in the operation.

Hayley Cullis, one of the five campers, had urged the public to keep an eye out for Mr King, saying he may “be very confused”.

His body was discovered half a mile from where he was last seen.

Police searched through the Australian bush on horseback
PA

Victoria Police said: “Police have located the body of a man following the search for missing tourist Aslan King in the Princetown area.”

Sergeant Danny Brown said Mr King’s behaviour appeared to be wildly out of character.

“This is why it made it so hard for us [to search] because there was no intelligence to suggest why he left or where he went," he said.

"His behaviour took everyone by surprise. By all accounts he was a very fit, physically and mentally.”

He added Mr King’s body was identified by friends. Police will now prepare a report for the coroner.

The Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man following his death near Princetown, Australia, and are in close contact with the Australian police.”

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