Police probe into Britt Lapthorne's death a 'debacle', father says

The father of a Victorian backpacker, who was last seen alive at a nightclub in Croatia in 2008, has hit out at a coroner's finding that the local police left no stone unturned when investigating her death.

But without that police support, Britt Lapthorne's family would have many more unanswered questions about her death, Dale Lapthorne concedes.

After a brief hearing that formally closed the inquest into Britt's death in the Victorian Coroners Court on Thursday, Ms Lapthorne's parents Dale and Elke said the end of the Victorian proceedings brought some closure.

But they described the initial Croatian police investigation as a debacle.

"We are thoroughly annoyed and furious by the comments that it was a thorough and professional investigation," Mr Lapthorne told reporters outside the court.

"It was a debacle for the first two weeks ... It's laughable."

Pleased the coroner found it was unlikely Britt had committed suicide, her mother, Elke, said she hoped her daughter's killer was tortured by her death.

Mr Lapthorne has retraced the last month of his daughter's travels and says said Britt may have not died in vain after all.

Many young backpackers were more careful when travelling overseas, he said.

Another lasting legacy, he says, is change to the way Croatian police deal with similar matters.

During the Victorian hearing, coroner's associate Sergeant David Dimsey said Ms Lapthorne was last seen very drunk at the Latin Club Fuego in the coastal town Dubrovnik where she was partying with other backpackers on September 18, 2008.

Her body was found nearby by fishermen in Boninovo Bay three weeks later and it was unlikely she had intentionally entered the water considering weather conditions on the night she went missing.

Croatian police never solved the mystery of her disappearance and say their investigation is continuing.

A final report by State Coroner Ian Gray will be handed down later this month.