Jump to content

Murder of Grace Millane: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Needs year here
→‎Investigation: Needs year here too
Line 9: Line 9:


== Investigation ==
== Investigation ==
Millane's parents became concerned after she did not reply to birthday wishes they sent her on 2&nbsp;December<ref name='Stuff1'/> and police started investigating after she was reported missing by her parents three days later.<ref name='BBC'/> The hotel she was staying at reported that she did not go back to her room on the night of her disappearance.<ref name='Stuff1'/> Police initially said that there was "no evidence of foul play", but later gathered evidence that she was "no longer alive".<ref name='Stuff1'/> Police announced on 8&nbsp;December that they were treating the case as a homicide investigation, and a 26-year-old man was subsequently charged with her murder.<ref name=tvnz>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/suspect-charged-murder-missing-british-backpacker-grace-millane|title=Suspect to be charged with murder of missing British backpacker Grace Millane|work=TVNZ|date=8 December 2018}}</ref>
Millane's parents became concerned after she did not reply to birthday wishes they sent her on 2&nbsp;December 20181111111111111111111111111111<ref name='Stuff1'/> and police started investigating after she was reported missing by her parents three days later.<ref name='BBC'/> The hotel she was staying at reported that she did not go back to her room on the night of her disappearance.<ref name='Stuff1'/> Police initially said that there was "no evidence of foul play", but later gathered evidence that she was "no longer alive".<ref name='Stuff1'/> Police announced on 8&nbsp;December that they were treating the case as a homicide investigation, and a 26-year-old man was subsequently charged with her murder.<ref name=tvnz>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/suspect-charged-murder-missing-british-backpacker-grace-millane|title=Suspect to be charged with murder of missing British backpacker Grace Millane|work=TVNZ|date=8 December 2018}}</ref>


Millane's body was found on 9&nbsp;December at around 4&nbsp;pm, off [[Scenic Drive, Auckland|Scenic Drive]] in the [[Waitakere Ranges]] around {{convert|19|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of central Auckland.<ref name='BBC'>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-46502649|title=Grace Millane: Man appears in court charged with backpacker's murder|work=[[BBC News]]|date=10 December 2018|accessdate=10 December 2018}}</ref> A [[post-mortem examination]] was done on 10 December, but the results are yet to be announced. Further investigations of the area where Millane was found were carried out on 11&nbsp;December.<ref name='Newshub'>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/12/grace-millane-post-mortem-carried-out-but-police-won-t-release-results.html|title=Grace Millane: Post-mortem carried out, but police won't release results|last=Sutherland|first=Megan|work=Newshub|date=10 December 2018|accessdate=10 December 2018}}</ref> Police asked for the public's help in finding a shovel they believed was related to the inquiry. A shovel fitting the police description was found on 13&nbsp;December.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12176384|accessdate=22 December 2018|title=Grace Millane murder: Shovel found in central West Auckland|date=13 December 2018|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> Police also requested public help tracing the movements of a [[Toyota Corolla (E170)|2016 Toyota Corolla]] rental car that the accused leased between 2 and 3&nbsp;December. The car had subsequently been re-leased and was located on 8&nbsp;December in [[Taupo]], {{convert|275|km|abbr=on}} south of Auckland.<ref>{{cite news |first= Tommy |last= Livingston |date= 10 December 2018 |title= Grace Millane murder inquiry: Accused's rental car had been rented to someone else |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/109240296/grace-millane-murder-inquiry-sightings-of-seized-hire-red-car |publisher= Stuff |accessdate= 17 December 2018}}</ref>
Millane's body was found on 9&nbsp;December at around 4&nbsp;pm, off [[Scenic Drive, Auckland|Scenic Drive]] in the [[Waitakere Ranges]] around {{convert|19|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of central Auckland.<ref name='BBC'>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-46502649|title=Grace Millane: Man appears in court charged with backpacker's murder|work=[[BBC News]]|date=10 December 2018|accessdate=10 December 2018}}</ref> A [[post-mortem examination]] was done on 10 December, but the results are yet to be announced. Further investigations of the area where Millane was found were carried out on 11&nbsp;December.<ref name='Newshub'>{{cite news|url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/12/grace-millane-post-mortem-carried-out-but-police-won-t-release-results.html|title=Grace Millane: Post-mortem carried out, but police won't release results|last=Sutherland|first=Megan|work=Newshub|date=10 December 2018|accessdate=10 December 2018}}</ref> Police asked for the public's help in finding a shovel they believed was related to the inquiry. A shovel fitting the police description was found on 13&nbsp;December.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12176384|accessdate=22 December 2018|title=Grace Millane murder: Shovel found in central West Auckland|date=13 December 2018|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> Police also requested public help tracing the movements of a [[Toyota Corolla (E170)|2016 Toyota Corolla]] rental car that the accused leased between 2 and 3&nbsp;December. The car had subsequently been re-leased and was located on 8&nbsp;December in [[Taupo]], {{convert|275|km|abbr=on}} south of Auckland.<ref>{{cite news |first= Tommy |last= Livingston |date= 10 December 2018 |title= Grace Millane murder inquiry: Accused's rental car had been rented to someone else |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/109240296/grace-millane-murder-inquiry-sightings-of-seized-hire-red-car |publisher= Stuff |accessdate= 17 December 2018}}</ref>

Revision as of 00:33, 23 November 2019

Grace Emmie Rose Millane[1] was a 22-year-old English tourist whose disappearance in Auckland, New Zealand, in December 2018 sparked international attention. A 26-year-old man was charged with her murder on 8 December,[2] and her body was found in the nearby Waitakere Ranges the following day. The defendant was tried at the Auckland High Court in November 2019. Following a three week trial, the defendant was convicted by a unanimous guilty verdict on 22 November 2019.[3][4]

Background and disappearance

Millane was from Wickford, Essex.[5] She had recently graduated from the University of Lincoln[5] with a bachelor's degree in advertising and marketing, and was on a backpacking tour during her gap year.

Millane was on a two-week stay in New Zealand after spending six weeks in South America.[5] She entered New Zealand on 20 November 2018 and travelled around the upper North Island.[6] She arrived in Auckland on 30 November.[6] At 9:00 pm on 1 December, she was seen on Victoria Street in Auckland's central business district, and 15 minutes later she was seen via CCTV at SkyCity. She was last seen at 9:41 pm at the CityLife Hotel on Queen Street with a man who was subsequently charged with her murder.[5][7] It was widely reported that the pair had arranged to meet via a dating app.[2]

Investigation

Millane's parents became concerned after she did not reply to birthday wishes they sent her on 2 December 20181111111111111111111111111111[7] and police started investigating after she was reported missing by her parents three days later.[5] The hotel she was staying at reported that she did not go back to her room on the night of her disappearance.[7] Police initially said that there was "no evidence of foul play", but later gathered evidence that she was "no longer alive".[7] Police announced on 8 December that they were treating the case as a homicide investigation, and a 26-year-old man was subsequently charged with her murder.[8]

Millane's body was found on 9 December at around 4 pm, off Scenic Drive in the Waitakere Ranges around 19 km (12 mi) west of central Auckland.[5] A post-mortem examination was done on 10 December, but the results are yet to be announced. Further investigations of the area where Millane was found were carried out on 11 December.[9] Police asked for the public's help in finding a shovel they believed was related to the inquiry. A shovel fitting the police description was found on 13 December.[10] Police also requested public help tracing the movements of a 2016 Toyota Corolla rental car that the accused leased between 2 and 3 December. The car had subsequently been re-leased and was located on 8 December in Taupo, 275 km (171 mi) south of Auckland.[11]

Suspect

A 26-year-old man was taken into custody on 8 December at 3 pm. The man had been staying at the CityLife Hotel in central Auckland.[5] He appeared in the Auckland District Court on 10 December 2018, charged with murdering Millane.[12]

According to an investigative report by New Zealand Herald crime journalist Anna Leask, the suspect was born and grew up in the Wellington Region. After his parents separated when he was nine, the suspect was raised by his father and grandfather. His mother moved overseas while his father remarried and had a blended family. The defendant worked as a bartender and builder/labourer and also lived in Sydney, Australia between 2013 and 2016. The suspect had an estranged relationship with his family due to his track record for dishonesty and alleged stealing. The defendant also had a drink-driving conviction in New Zealand and had been arrested for disorderly behaviour in South Auckland and Sydney. The defendant's paternal grandfather also alleged that the defendant had fathered a child while living in Sydney but this is disputed by other relatives.[13]

Name suppression

During the initial appearance, the suspect was denied name suppression, but this was appealed against by the defence, automatically triggering interim name suppression for a period of 20 working days.[a] The suppression order cannot be enforced against international media outlets, and several outlets, particularly in the United Kingdom, chose to publish his name. Google included the man's name in an email it sent to subscribers of its newsletter on trending topics in New Zealand, which claimed that 100,000 searches had been done of the name within the country. Justice Minister Andrew Little and the New Zealand Bar Association criticised the foreign media, saying the publication of the accused's name endangered his right to a fair trial.[15][16][17]

The suspect was remanded in custody and appeared in the Auckland High Court on 16 January 2019 where he pleaded not guilty. His identity remained suppressed pending an appeal.[18][19] The appeal was heard at the High Court on 7 February; the judge reserved his decision, meaning the order remains in force for the time being.[20]

Trial

His trial began on 4 November 2019 with the selection of the jury. He reaffirmed his earlier not guilty plea, with proceedings expected to last five weeks.[21][22][23] The prosecution led by Solicitor Brian Dickey argued that the defendant had strangled Millane to death following a Tinder date. The Crown also testified that, after killing her, the defendant conducted several Internet searches on how to how to dispose of bodies as well as viewing pornography. Dickey also said the man calmly and callously disposed of Millane's body and other evidence, and then created a "labyrinth of storytelling and lies" to cover his tracks.[24]

Three female Crown witnesses, whom the defendant had also met through Tinder, testified that the defendant liked masochistic and bondage sex including choking. The Crown also presented security camera footage of the defendant and Millane including the defendant renting a Rug Doctor cleaning machine at the Countdown supermarket in Quay Street. A Crown expert witness pathologist Dr Simon Stables testified that a postmortem examination of Millane's body had found bruising consistent with someone who had been restrained and asphyxiated.[3][25][26] Millane's post-mortem blood-alcohol level was measured at 106 milligrams per millilitre of blood, just over twice the legal driving limit of 50 mg/mL.[27]

The defence team led by Ian Brockie argued that Millane's death was the result of a consensual sexual "misadventure" between the defendant and Millane. They alleged that Millane had an interest in bondage and sado-masochism and had asked the defendant to choke her during a consensual sex game which went wrong. While acknowledging that the defendant had tried to hide and bury the defendant's body, they contended that the defendant had panicked. [3][25][26] The defence's expert witness pathologist Dr Fintan Garavan contested the Crown's autopsy evidence, claiming that her injuries were consistent with a consensual sex act due to the lack of defensive wounds on Millane's body. Dr Garavan also alleged that the victim's alcohol consumption could have contributed to her death. Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield also argued that the defendant's claiming to be wealthy and successful stemmed from his personal insecurity.[3]

The trial lasted three weeks. The jury, which consisted of seven men and five women, returned a verdict of guilty on 22 November after deliberating for five hours. The verdict was welcomed by Millane's parents David and Gillian. Several members of the jury reportedly wept following the verdict. The defendant will be sentenced in late February 2020.[4][28]

Reactions

Millane's death generated an unprecedented reaction from the New Zealand public.[29] Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a public apology to the family of Millane on 10 December, saying "on behalf of New Zealand, I want to apologise. Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn't". During the press conference she appeared to be close to tears.[12]

The University of Lincoln, where Millane studied, said that its community was "deeply saddened" by her death.[5]

Auckland's Sky Tower and Harbour Bridge were lit up in a white ribbon shape from 10 to 13 December to mark her death.[30] Candlelight vigils were held on 11–12 December at several locations around New Zealand.[31][32]

Journalists Alison Mau and Paul Little criticised the media coverage as an example of missing white woman syndrome where significantly more media attention is given to "typically white, conventionally attractive" females from middle class backgrounds who are depicted as "innocent" and "angelic".[33][34]

On 10 January 2019, hundreds turned out for Grace Millane's funeral at Brentwood Cathedral in Essex.[35]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ For court purposes, non-working days are Saturdays, Sundays, national public holidays (but not regional anniversary days), and all days between 25 December and 15 January.[14]:5

References

  1. ^ "Grace Millane Funeral: Family Pay Tribute to Murdered Backpacker". Australia Times. Archived from the original (JPEG image) on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Backpacker Grace Millane met murder accused on dating app". Stuff. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Gay, Edward (22 November 2019). "The complete evidence the Grace Millane murder trial heard: Inside the case that gripped a nation". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Grace Millane murder: Man guilty of killing backpacker in New Zealand". BBC News. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Grace Millane: Man appears in court charged with backpacker's murder". BBC News. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Leask, Anna (10 December 2018). "Grace Millane murder: Details of alleged killer revealed". Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Crockett, Natalie (9 December 2018). "Missing backpacker Grace Millane: From disappearance to murder charge". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Suspect to be charged with murder of missing British backpacker Grace Millane". TVNZ. 8 December 2018.
  9. ^ Sutherland, Megan (10 December 2018). "Grace Millane: Post-mortem carried out, but police won't release results". Newshub. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Grace Millane murder: Shovel found in central West Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. ^ Livingston, Tommy (10 December 2018). "Grace Millane murder inquiry: Accused's rental car had been rented to someone else". Stuff. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  12. ^ a b Roy, Eleanor Ainge (10 December 2018). "'Your daughter should have been safe here': Ardern apologises after Grace Millane murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  13. ^ Leask, Anna (21 November 2019). "Who is Grace Millane's murderer? Unravelling labyrinth of lies and a fatal Tinder date". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Criminal Procedure Act 2011". New Zealand Legislation Online. Parliamentary Counsel Office. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Bar Association says ongoing suppression breaches in Grace Millane murder case endanger trial". New Zealand Herald. 13 December 2018.
  16. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (14 December 2018). "New Zealand Rebukes Google for Airing Name of Suspect in Backpacker's Killing". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  17. ^ Lyons, Kate (19 December 2018). "Grace Millane murder: New Zealand rebukes Google for emailing out suspect's name". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Leask, Anna (16 January 2019). "Grace Millane murder: Accused pleads not guilty, keeps name suppression". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  19. ^ "Man accused of killing Grace Millane pleads not guilty". 1 News. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  20. ^ Grace Millane: Man accused of murdering British backpacker keeps identity secret, Radio New Zealand, 7 February 2019
  21. ^ "Grace Millane murder accused pleads not guilty". Radio New Zealand. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  22. ^ Owen, Catrin (16 January 2019). "Grace Millane: Man accused of murdering British backpacker pleads not guilty". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  23. ^ "Grace Millane murder trial: Jury selected". Radio New Zealand. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Who is Grace Millane's murderer? Unravelling labyrinth of lies and a fatal Tinder date". The New Zealand Herald. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  25. ^ a b Hurley, Sam (21 November 2019). "Grace Millane murder trial: Jury hears all the evidence as defence closes case with Whiplr messages". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  26. ^ a b "Grace Millane died 'accidentally during sex', murder accused claims". BBC News. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  27. ^ "Grace Millane murder trial: Accused cleaned up evidence from apartment where she died". Stuff. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  28. ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge (22 November 2019). "Grace Millane trial: New Zealand man found guilty of murdering British backpacker". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  29. ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge (11 December 2018). "Grace Millane murder prompts outpouring of grief in New Zealand". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  30. ^ Clent, Danielle (10 December 2018). "Grace Millane: Auckland's Sky Tower, Harbour Bridge to shine white for killed British backpacker". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Queenstowners hold vigil for British backpacker Grace Millane". Radio New Zealand. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  32. ^ Small, Zane (12 December 2018). "Live: Vigils for Grace Millane held across New Zealand". Newshub. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  33. ^ Mau, Alison (16 December 2018). "We've all had the chance to mourn Grace Millane, but the court denies this other slain woman that humanity". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  34. ^ Little, Paul (15 December 2018). "Paul Little: Grace Millane case highlights a terrible double standard". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Grace Millane: British backpacker killed in New Zealand farewelled at UK funeral". Stuff.co.nz. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Grace_Millane&oldid=927523107"