Grace Millane: Mother of murdered British backpacker tells killer he has 'ripped a hole' in her heart

Gillian Millane spoke as the 28-year-old man, who cannot be named, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

'You ripped a hole in my heart': Mother speaks to daughter's killer
Why you can trust Sky News

The mother of the murdered British backpacker Grace Millane told her killer he has "ripped a hole in my heart" after her daughter died "terrified and alone" in his room.

Gillian Millane spoke as the 28-year-old killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years.

Mrs Millane addressed her daughter's murderer by videolink at Auckland High Court as he was handed one of the longest non-parole punishments in New Zealand's history.

The man accused of killing the British backpacker searched online for places to hide her body, a court hears.
Image: Miss Millane's body was found in a suitcase

Miss Millane, 21, from Wickford in Essex, was strangled by the man after she met him on a dating site.

They then spent several hours drinking in the centre of Auckland on 1 December 2018.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The 21-year-old from Essex was murdered after a first date while travelling in New Zealand.

The pair returned to the murderer's apartment where Miss Millane was killed the night before her 22nd birthday.

Her mother told the killer in court: "You took it upon yourself to murder my beautiful Grace, an innocent young lady.

More on New Zealand

"On a daily basis I torment myself over what you did to my Grace, the terror and pain she must have experienced at your hands.

"As a mother I would have done anything to change places with her.

"I sit full of guilt knowing I couldn't help her, that I should have been there."

As Mrs Millane spoke about her torment, the man in the dock kept his head bowed, rubbed his face and had his eyes closed, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The murderer was described as a "sociopath" during his trial.

A 'gregarious, talented' student
A 'gregarious, talented' student

Grace Millane dreamed of travelling the world

Miss Millane was strangled during sex, with her killer taking a series of intimate photographs of her naked body before watching pornography through the early hours.

Internet searches showed him actively plotting to conceal the murder.

CCTV showed him hiring a car and buying cleaning products, a shovel and a suitcase.

He later used the suitcase to remove Miss Millane's body from his hotel room before burying her body in some woods.

Judge Simon Moore agreed with prosecutors that the naked photos the man took of Miss Millane after her death were depraved and underscored his total lack of empathy toward her.

He said Miss Millane was vulnerable, adding: "She was a young woman in a strange country, and you were a stranger who she trusted."

The suspect cannot be identified for legal reasons
Image: The suspect cannot be identified for legal reasons

Mrs Millane said in court: "(Grace) died terrified and alone in a room with you, whose name isn't even spoken among friends and family.

"You have ripped a hole in my heart, one that will never be repaired.

"You walked into our lives and destroyed Grace in the pursuit of your own sexual gratification.

"Now my family will never be the same. So many other innocent people, including your own family, have had their worlds destroyed.

"I want you to know that I don't think of you, because if I did that would mean I care about you and I simply don't.

"I will miss my darling Grace until the last breath in my body leaves me."

Miss Millane's murder shocked many in New Zealand, which prides itself on welcoming tourists.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about New Zealanders feeling "hurt and shame" that the young student had been killed in their country.