Grace Millane: A Tragedy That Changed Laws

On December 1, 2018, 22-year-old backpacker Grace Millane met a man for a Tinder date in Auckland; within days she was missing, and soon a homicide investigation revealed CCTV trails, a calculated cleanup, and a killer who tried to hide behind the so-called “rough sex” defense. This episode traces Grace’s life and travels, the meticulous police work that unraveled the lie, the trial that led to a murder conviction, and the global backlash that helped spur legal reforms aimed at preventing abusers from blaming victims.

Sources:

• The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane (documentary) — https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-lie-the-murder-of-grace-millane/umc.cmc.25e1hupsruxwcfvbjnixz7mtr
• Supreme Court of New Zealand, Jesse Shane Kempson v R (PDF) — https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2021/2021-NZSC-74.pdf
• RNZ, The Grace Millane case: A timeline — https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/410039/the-grace-millane-case-a-timeline
• RNZ, Grace Millane’s killer named as Jesse Kempson after Supreme Court appeal denied — https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/433383/grace-millane-s-killer-named-as-jesse-kempson-after-supreme-court-appeal-denied
• New Zealand Police, Update – Grace Millane investigation — https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/update-grace-millane-investigation-1
• UK Government, Domestic Abuse Act factsheet: Consent to serious harm for sexual gratification not a defence — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bill-2020-factsheets/consent-to-serious-harm-for-sexual-gratification-not-a-defence
• UK Legislation, Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Section 72 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/17/section/72
• NZ Herald, Grace Millane murder: Killer jailed for a minimum of 17 years — https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/grace-millane-murder-killer-jailed-for-a-minimum-of-17-years/P6RDWB4JUETPINBVWC5UH6HH6Y/
• The Guardian, Grace Millane trial: jury shown CCTV of accused moving suitcase with body inside — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/13/grace-millane-trial-jury-shown-cctv-of-accused-transporting-suitcase-with-body-inside
• TIME, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Offers Emotional Apology to Family of Murdered British Tourist — https://time.com/5475149/jacinda-ardern-grace-millane-new-zealand-murder/

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Credits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-Hoffman

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