Justice Simon Moore has imposed a sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum non-parole period of 17 years on the man who murdered British backpacker Grace Millane.
The killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, strangled the victim in a hotel in Auckland after meeting her via Tinder on December 1, 2018 – the day before her 22 birthday.
Her body was later found buried in a suitcase in a forested area outside the city.
The victim’s mother, Gillian Millane, appeared at the hearing at Auckland’s High Court via videolink and addressed the defendant directly, telling him her daughter “died terrified and alone in your room”, according to the New Zealand Herald.
The man in the dock kept his head bowed, rubbed his face and had his eyes closed, the newspaper reported.
The defendant claimed Ms Millane died accidentally after the pair engaged in rough sex that went too far.
A jury in November rejected that argument and found the man guilty
Jailing him for life with a minimum term of 17 years, Mr Justice Simon Moore told the murderer his actions amounted to “conduct that underscores a lack of empathy and sense of self-entitlement and objectification”.
