GUILTY NEW ZEALAND - Grace Millane, 22, British backpacker, Auckland, 1 Dec 2018 #3

"Auckland Crown Solicitor Brian Dickey is addressing Justice Simon Moore, ahead of sentencing.

Dickey said there was a "high level of brutality, depravity and cruelty" in Grace's murder, therefore the killer should spent at least 16 years in prison.

He said there were a number of aggravating factors, such as the brutality and callousness he showed after killing her, including searching for *advertiser censored* and taking intimate photographs.

"Manual strangulation, by its nature is a very close quarters, personal and callous thing to do to another person, and to kill them."

"The very act of strangulation is a personalised way to kill a person."

The intimate photos taken of Grace, shortly after her death shows the killer eroticised this death, Dickey said.

He said the defence maintains the photo wasn't taken after her death, but he argues that submission doesn't hold much weight.

"There is of course, the events afterwards ... the way the defendant went about his life, trying to date other women and trying to cover his tracks ... this is not rough sex gone wrong, this was a violent death," he said."

Grace Millane: Murderer to be sentenced for killing British backpacker
 
"Brookie said there was no disputed that his client's first police interview in December 2018 was "a lie".

He said the killer admitted that two days later.

But, Brookie submitted, the killer had not lied to police throughout the investigation.

In the killer's second police interview he confessed to Millane dying in his apartment before then telling police where her body was."

Grace Millane murder: Killer to be sentenced this morning over British backpacker's death
 
"When compared with other murders, Brookie, said "this was certainly not a brutal or callous case".

"We're more in the 12 year department," he said for the non-parole period.

He said there were also mitigating factors.

Brookie said the killer's father and other members of his family had provided the court with information about his background.

"He was cut off from his mother and his only brother from a very young age."

Grace Millane murder: Killer to be sentenced this morning over British backpacker's death
 
"Brookie said by December 2018, the killer had "become isolated" from his family.

He said the murderer had a real prospect of rehabilitation.

"Of course sentencing here has to be about punishment," he said, but he added "thankfully" we live in a country where we consider rehabilitation.

He urged Justice Moore not to impose a sentencing that will be "crushing".

Grace Millane murder: Killer to be sentenced this morning over British backpacker's death
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
126
Guests online
3,506
Total visitors
3,632

Forum statistics

Threads
592,499
Messages
17,969,920
Members
228,788
Latest member
Soccergirl500
Back
Top