Nearly three weeks of trial, 39 witnesses, and just over five hours of jury deliberation returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the case of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane.
COMMENT:
David and Gillian, there are no words that anyone here in New Zealand could say to you, to take away the hurt, to take away the anger, to take away the horror, to take away the unimaginable feelings you must have about losing your beautiful daughter Grace.
I, like so many people, have not spent a day without you in my thoughts. What you have been through and continue to go through is not right. And for that, I apologise.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter came to New Zealand for the fun and adventure every young person deserves, and didn't come home.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter was out there, living her life, meeting new people and finding herself, and didn't come home.
Grace Millane was murdered while in Auckland on her OE in December last year. Photo / Supplied
I am sorry your beautiful daughter did what millions and millions of young beautiful people do, go across the other side of the world, experience new places, try new food, share with the Insta world, drink a cocktail here and there, wing it a little bit, take a risk here and there, and didn't come home.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter met a boy, felt that exciting feeling we all feel when we meet a boy, maybe gave a bit of ourselves to that boy, drank with that boy, had fun with that boy, and didn't come home.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter was in a situation where she felt safe, where she thought she could trust someone, where she thought she could go home with someone, where she thought she could be intimate with someone, and didn't come home.
Grace Millane with her family from left: brother Michael and his wife Victoria with baby Harper; mum Gillian, dad David; Grace; brother Declan.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter was killed. No parent should ever have to bury their child and yet you did, because someone recklessly stole your daughter's life, and she didn't come home.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter was treated the way she was after she died. That hurts me to the core and I don't know if anyone in New Zealand will ever recover from that. We are so sorry she didn't come home.
I am so sorry your beautiful daughter, even after death, has had to be the subject of a judicial system which has not given her the dignity, love and respect she deserves. It was bad enough that she didn't come home.
Grace Millane's parents David and Gillian Millane speak to the media at the Auckland High Court after the jury delivered a murder verdict. Photo / Jason Oxenham
I am sorry you had to sit through weeks of harrowing evidence, hurtful evidence, heartbreaking evidence, about a beautiful daughter who was, quite simply, entitled to live out that dream OE. Something so many of us have done, just the same. But we got to come home.
I am sorry your beautiful daughter has gone. I think about her so much. I think about the exact feelings she would have had while living out her travel dreams, the freedom, the fun, the experiences. I can see her having the time of her life, I can see her smile, I can see her energy, I can see her love, I can see her happiness. David and Gillian, I only hope that you can see all of that, too.
I'm just so sorry your beautiful daughter didn't come home.
