In December 2008, Lapthorne returned to competition after 2 months out[3] following the much-publicised 18 September 2008 disappearance and death of his younger sister, Britt (born 1987), while she was backpacking in Dubrovnik, Croatia.[4][5] During this time, Lapthorne was heavily involved in the early informal efforts to identify her whereabouts,[6][7] and for helping to expose the lack of attention given to the case by local police. In late 2008, he assisted in the repatriation of her remains to Australia[8] and also attended the subsequent state coroner's hearing in 2015.[9]
