Killer of British backpacker Grace Millane to appeal conviction in New Zealand

Man found guilty of murder cannot currently seek parole for 17 years

Grace Millane's killer is appealing against his conviction in a New Zealand court (PA)

The man found guilty of killing British backpacker Grace Millane has started the process of appealing against his conviction and jail sentence, according to his barrister.

Rachael Reed QC, his lawyer, said that an appeal has been lodged in the New Zealand Court of Appeal.

The 28-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of strangling Ms Millane to death a day before her 22nd birthday in December 2018.

Last month, he was handed a minimum sentence of 17 years for the crime, which he must serve before he can seek parole.

His defence lawyers had asked for a 12-year sentence.

The man's defence that Ms Millane had died during "rough sex gone wrong" was rejected by a jury in November 2019.

Women's rights groups are now seeking to change the law by bringing an end to the "rough sex" defence, which is thought to have been on the rise in recent years.

Ms Millane had been on a year-long backpacking trip when she was killed by the man in a hotel room in Auckland.

He then put her body in a suitcase and buried it in a mountainous area outside the city.

At his sentencing, Gillian Millane told the killer that her daughter had "died terrified and alone in a room with you ... all her dreams and aspirations taken.”

When he sentenced the man for murder, Justice Simon Moore told him that his conduct “underscores a lack of empathy and sense of self-entitlement and objectification".

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Scott Beard of Auckland City Police called the death "senseless and needless".

Additional reporting from PA