Found Deceased NEW ZEALAND - Grace Millane, 22, British backpacker, Auckland, 1 Dec 2018 *Arrest* #2

[courtkim]

I know his defence team aren't stupid, but man it would have been great to see him fall over himself in the witness box.

Justice Simon Moore is clarifying to the jury that murder isn't confined just to someone intentionally killing someone or causing their death. It can also refer to reckless actions that cause bodily injury or death.

Thank you Judge. That's exactly the reminder the jury needs after the defence's opener.

 

[DanceCard]

girding my loins metaphorically for this defense case

I'm not certain my loins can be girded sufficiently, already annoyed by the defence's statements this morning!

 

[Mariposa]

Justice Simon Moore is clarifying to the jury that murder isn't confined just to someone intentionally killing someone or causing their death. It can also refer to reckless actions that cause bodily injury or death.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Defence opens case, calls witnesses

This seems like the judge correcting Mansfield- who was not defining murder broadly enough for the jury. Good

 

[CrazyLilBlondie]

What a coward not giving evidence! This just makes him seem even more guilty. If someone genuinely was innocent they would be begging and pleading to get their side of the story across. Brookie and Mansfield obv know he’s a fruitloop and wouldn’t be able to convince a jury of anything but his guilt!

 

[Mariposa]

I know his defence team aren't stupid, but man it would have been great to see him fall over himself in the witness.

He is already apparently in Full Snivel Mode today

 

[LucyRocket]

Justice Simon Moore addresses the jury after the defence's opening statement.

"In my role, as the judge of law, it will be for me to direct you on what the law is," he tells the jury.

Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield touched on "murderous intent" in his opening but the court heard there were two ways of getting to murder in this case.

The first is intention or deliberate causing of death, he says.

"There is another definition: The causing of actual bodily injury which is known could well cause death, if the person causing the injury is reckless, whether death ensues or not," he said.

"You can get to murder by either of those two routes. I wanted to raise this so when you are aware murder can involve notions of recklessness as well."

Justice Moore says when he sums up the case, that notion will be put "in black and white for you, for you to see what it really means in the context of this case".

Grace Millane murder trial: Accused won't take the witness stand in defence case

 

[courtkim]

"12:04pm - Statements from two detective constables have been read out. They discuss two dating applications - FetLife and Whiplr - that police believe Millane used. A Whiplr account police believe belonged to Millane was accessed at the Base backpackers on December 1.'

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Defence opens case, calls witnesses

 

[LucyRocket]

Statements from two detective constables have been read out. They discuss two dating applications - FetLife and Whiplr - that police believe Millane used. A Whiplr account police believe belonged to Millane was accessed at the Base backpackers on December 1.

Grace Millane murder trial: Live updates as Defence opens case, calls witnesses

 

[LucyRocket]

The court is adjourned for lunch until 1pm when more defence witnesses will be called.

 

[courtkim]

I'm really surprised by the FetLife and Whiplr accounts. Anyone else?

 

[Mariposa]

I'm really surprised by the FetLife and Whiplr accounts. Anyone else?

I know what FetLife is but what is the other one all about

 

[Kikixxxx]

What’s fetlife and whiplr? I’ve not heard of either

 

[Kikixxxx]

The court is adjourned for lunch until 1pm when more defence witnesses will be called.

Lunch already. Nothings even happened so far. Talk about dragging it out.

 

[courtkim]

I only knew FetLife I googled the other one. It's like tinder for people into BDSM.

 

[Kikixxxx]

I only knew FetLife I googled the other one. It's like tinder for people into BDSM.

I just googled too... I really don’t like what the defence are doing I feel for grace’s mum and dad having to sit through this.

 

[LucyRocket]

Before the break a friend of Grace’s, who has name suppression, had her statement read to the court.

She said she and Grace would talk about "all things girly" including sexual preferences.

Grace enjoyed her partner putting her hands around her neck, BDSM and rough sex at at times, the statement read.

" ... We only really laughed about it and talked about it on the surface ... because we were embarrassed about it."

The friend also mentioned how Grace would sometimes like to use handcuffs.

Grace was a more confident version of herself when she was drunk but there was never any drama, the friend added.

Grace Millane murder trial: Accused won't take the witness stand in defence case

 

[smucklecrumble]

Hating the direction the defence is going in

 

[jamjim]

12.25pm

A friend of Millane, whose identity is suppressed, had her statement read to the court.

She said Millane had "a type" in a man.

"Grace liked the rugby player type of look. Grace's taste rarely went away from that type."

Part of "girl talk", she said, included discussing their sexual preferences.

Millane "enjoyed her partner putting her hands around her neck", BDSM and rough sex, she said.

She also mentioned Millane would use handcuffs on occasions.

A statement from a man who knew Millane was also read to the court but the details are unable to be reported due to an interim suppression order.

The court also heard evidence that Millane held accounts on Whiplr and FetLife, online BDSM and sexual fetish communities.

She last accessed her Whiplr account on December 1 last year - the day she met the accused - from her backpackers in Auckland.

Grace Millane trial: Accused 'playing out his life through Tinder' - defence lawyer

 

[scapa]

Hating the direction the defence is going in

Me too.

I posted a link upthread to a Guardian story on the rise in choking deaths, many of them ostensibly during consensual sex. Among the article's disturbing observations is how few of these make it to court, and how many of those that do are lost, or result in low sentences. I have a real fear that the combination of relative newness (not sure many tomes these were prosecuted in the past), prurience (if X was the kind of person to have Fetlife and Whiplr accounts then maybe just maybe she was seeking out rough sex without boundaries) and the generally uninhibiting growth in social media use gives a jury an out-clause in a case like this. I really really hope they were paying attention to the State's case.

Of course membership in any community and a sometime set of sexual preferences do NOT imply blanket consent nor should they absolve a predator like this guy from culpability for assault and murder, but it's worrying nonetheless.

 

[Kikixxxx]

This is so wrong that her private life is getting plastered all over the news. And Yet he gets name suppression??! It’s a joke