Grace Mullane's mum told her daughter's killer than he had 'ripped a hole in my heart' as he was jailed for life.
The 28-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, strangled the British backpacker in a hotel apartment in Auckland, New Zealand, the night before her 22nd birthday after they met on a dating app.
Grace's body was later found in a suitcase buried in a forested area outside the city.
Her killer claimed Grace, from Essex, died accidentally during rough sex - but a jury rejected the claim and found him guilty of murder in November after deliberating for five hours.
Grace's mum Gillian Millane addressed the killer via a video link as he was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in jail at Auckland High Court last night.
She told him that her daughter died "terrified and alone in a room with you" and spoke of the "guilt" she felt over not being able to help her.
“You have ripped a hole in my heart, one that will never be repaired," she said.
“You walked into our lives and destroyed Grace, in the pursuit of your own sexual gratification."
Mrs Millane said her family would "never be the same" and added: “So many other innocent people, including your own family, have had their world destroyed.
“I will miss my darling Grace, until the last breath in my body leaves me.”
Grace’s brother, David Millane, echoed his mother’s sentiments, and described his family as “ripped apart” when Grace was reported missing on December 2018.
“The following weeks were the hardest and worst weeks of my life," he told the court.
He said he was "instantly sick" when he took a call from his dad who gave him the news that his sister's body had been found.
“The thought of how scared she must have been (…) I could have done nothing to help her," he said.
“As an older brother, I felt a duty to protect my little sister, but there was nothing I could do, I was helpless and lost.”
During the trial last year, the jury heard how the pair had spent several hours drinking in the centre of Auckland on the night they met before returning to his apartment.
They also heard from heard from forensic experts who examined the killer's apartment for blood stains as well as Ms Millane's body after her death.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Scott Beard of Auckland City Police said the death was “senseless and needless”.
He added: “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.
“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.”
He told reporters that “strangling someone for five to ten minutes until they die is not rough sex” - and it should not be considered a defence for murder.
“If people are going to use that type of defence, all it actually does is repetitively revictimises the victim and the victim’s family," he said.
“In this case, the Millanes have had to sit through a trial for a number of weeks and their daughter’s background, rightly or wrongly, was out in the public.
“I don’t believe that rough sex should be a defence. I understand why the defence would use it but the bottom line is the individual has killed someone.”
