FINAL MOMENTS
Grace Millane murder trial – Brit seen hugging and in lift with Tinder date ‘murderer’ who ‘strangled her during sex’
THE jury in Grace Millane’s murder trial have sat through heart-breaking footage of her last hours alive on a Tinder date with the man accused of choking her to death during sex.
With her parents watching from the public gallery, backpacker Grace was shown taking a picture of a Christmas tree in a New Zealand casino, which she sent to them while waiting to meet the alleged killer for the first time.
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It was the university graduate’s last contact with her family, but today, property developer David Millane and his wife Gill saw 30 minutes of footage discovered by police from a chain of CCTV cameras covering central Auckland.
The film covered almost their entire date from meeting outside the Sky City casino, through drinking at a succession of bars, to entering the CityLife hotel where the defendant was living.
A final scene, at 9.41pm, shows the couple exiting the hotel lift and heading to the alleged killer’s apartment.
It was on December 1 last year, the eve of her 22nd birthday, that Grace and the 27-year-old man - who cannot be named for legal reasons - arranged to meet after connecting through Tinder the previous day.
Detective Adam Bicknell told the jury he had been in charge of tracing Grace and her alleged killer’s movements through the city as part of Operation Gourami, the code name for the police investigation into her disappearance.
His team had looked at hundreds of hours of film captured over six days, said Detective Bicknell.
The footage shown today began at 5.11pm on December 11, with the defendant entering the Bluestone Room and half an hour later, Grace, in a black dress, leaving the Base backpackers’ hostel where she was staying and walking through rain-soaked streets towards Sky City.
The accused, wearing a pale shirt and jeans, had bought four bottles of Heineken at the Bluestone Room, said the detective.
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Outside SkyCity, Grace was shown arriving in front of the casino’s 20 foot tall Christmas tree, where she stood waiting at 5.45pm.
“I think we could see Miss Millane using her phone at the time,” said Detective Bicknell, when asked about the photograph she had sent her parents.
Within minutes, the defendant walked into view, approaching Grace and giving her a hug, before the two of them walk into the casino and find Andy’s Burger Bar.
The court was told Grace, of Wickford, Essex, was strangled during sex by the defendant who then proceeded to watch porn and researched how to dispose of a body.
Data showed the defendant had searched online about "rigor mortis” before browsing websites for large duffel bags, suitcases and car hire.
His phone was also used to search for "flesh-eating birds" and "are there vultures in New Zealand?" days later, on December 5, 2018.
Records showed the defendant had searched online for "the hottest fire", "large bags near me" and "Waitakere Ranges" - where Ms Millane's body was later found contorted inside a suitcase on December 9, 2018.
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Her parents had wept in court as they heard that earrings and a small metal tag inscribed with the word "freedom" were also found inside the suitcase.
Grace’s parents David and Gillian watched on as prosecutor Robin McCoubrey told the court she had been strangled until she bled through her nose.
The accused, who claims Grace's death was accidental after she asked him to choke her during sex, is then alleged to have gone on another date while her corpse lay in the flat.
Grace's body was later found stuffed in a suitcase in the foetal position and buried in dense woodland.
The defendant denies murder and the trial continues.
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