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Backpacker unimpressed by croc swim stunt

The British backpacker whose beauty inspired a local teenager to jump into crocodile infested waters in Queensland wasn't impressed by the risky stunt.

Lee De Paauw
A teenager who was mauled by a crocodile claims he scored a date with the backpacker he was wooing. (AAP)

2 min read

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Source: AAP


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The "beautiful" British backpacker who inspired a foolhardy Queensland teenager to jump into crocodile infested waters said there was "nothing impressive" about the stunt.

Lee De Paauw, 18, was lucky to escape with his life after being mauled by a crocodile in Innisfail's Johnstone River in the early hours of Sunday morning and has since claimed he was trying to impress 24-year-old Sophie Paterson.

But Ms Paterson said she'd have to be "quite twisted" to have been impressed by the risky stunt which almost cost Mr De Paauw his left arm.

"Risking your life, there is nothing funny about that ... in all honesty, it was a horrific experience. I was pretty shaken up," she told the Seven Network.

The news may come as a shock to Mr De Paauw, who boasted that at least had got a date out of it.

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"She said she would go out with me to the movies, yeah," he told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

Claiming that he took the plunge for "that beautiful backpacker", Mr De Paauw was quick to add that she was "just another girl" when asked what was so special about her.

But Ms Paterson told NOVA he was "too young for me".

Mr De Paauw will undergo surgery on Tuesday to clean his injuries.

The crocodile bite resulted in two broken bones and two gouges on his left arm that are still to be stitched, he said.


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