Grace Millane murder sentencing
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Dickey said the actions of the killer after Millane's murder showed callousness, including his search for internet pornography and taking intimate photos of Millane's dead body.He said the killer "eroticised" the murder which displayed "depravity".But the murderer's actions didn't stop there as he tried to "cover up his tracks" and lie to police.
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Brookie urged Justice Moore to sentence his client with the knowledge the killer and Millane had engaged in consensual sex.
"There is no evidence of any non-consensual attack on the deceased.
"There is no sustained attack, there is no evidence of any other violence, which we unfortunately see in many other murders." -
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Brookie said there was no dispute 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. -
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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." -
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".
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Justice Moore said only two people will ever know what really happened in the killer's apartment, and "one of them is dead"."So what happened?"
By the jury's verdict, Justice Moore said, the claim of sex gone wrong was rejected.
Even the killer's second police interview, Justice Moore said, contained "demonstrable lies".
He continued to insist that Millane's death was "some terrible accident".
But Justice Moore said: "I accept that at some point you and Miss Millane must have discussed BDSM practices." -
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Justice Moore is now addressing Ian Brookie.
He said the defence the barrister put forward for the killer was entirely proper and was run in a "strong and competent fashion".
The level of public criticism Brookie recieved during the trial was "entirely wrong", Justice Moore said. -
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The killer's father and family has just left the courthouse.
The killer's father would not comment to the Herald when asked what he thought of the sentence or when the last time he spoke to his son was.
He left the building visibly upset with tears in his eyes. -
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Statement from Detective Inspector Scott Beard, Auckland City Police:
Today’s sentencing sees the end of what has been a long and difficult period of time for the Millane family. The impact of losing their daughter on her birthday while alone in a foreign country has been significant and no matter what the outcome they will forever have a life sentence.Even though their lives have been changed forever we hope with support from family and friends they can now try in some way to move forward with their lives.
I would like to thank the Police staff who worked on this investigation, they have been nothing but professional, hardworking and determined to bring justice for Grace.
The sentencing today is a reflection of the gravity and ongoing impact her murderer’s actions have had, not only on the family but also on people across New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Grace’s family and friends as they continue to try and make sense of her senseless and needless death. -
The charity White Ribbon has issued a statement on today's sentencing:
“One person has been locked away but are New Zealand women any safer?” asks White Ribbon Manager Rob McCann.
“We certainly feel better about ourselves, but in locking away one person we have not addressed the fact that one in three women experience violence from a partner or ex-partner in their lifetime. We have not addressed the unhealthy attitudes towards women that are nurtured by pornography, or the clichéd masculinity that is created when we tell our young men that ‘boys don’t cry’ or to ‘harden up’.”
“We have not addressed the victim blaming which the defence tried to utilise and that those same myths were repeated by sections of our communities.”
White Ribbon Ambassador Mark Longley agrees. “It is great that justice has been done today and the man who murdered Grace will spend a long time behind bars.
“What is a shame though is that in the 12 months after Grace's murder we saw a higher than average number of women in New Zealand die at the hands of their partner.
"The death of Grace and the women after her must not be in vain, violence against women, in any form, is wrong and it is up to us men to spread that message.
"As men our voice can be incredibly powerful, whether that is just checking in on a mate and asking if he is ok, or uniting to speak out against violence towards women," says Longley..
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Today the man who murdered Grace Millane was jailed for life. His sentence followed a high-profile investigation and trial after Grace went missing in Auckland during her OE in December 2018. In this special feature, Detective Inspector Scott Beard speaks to Anna Leask about the importance of finding Grace. NOTE: Premium article
Grace Millane murder: Inside the Millane investigation - and a top cop's promise to a distraught dad
NZ HeraldExclusive: Detective Inspector Scott Beard opens up about the Grace Millane investigation. -
The officer in charge of the Grace Millane murder investigation has slammed the use of the "rough sex" defence - saying it effectively degraded a victim and traumatised her family..
