Grace Millane trial: Man found guilty of killing British backpacker in NZ

A jury in New Zealand has found a 27-year-old man guilty of murdering British backpacker Grace Millane.

The man who murdered British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand has also been convicted of two other violent offences against women. Source: Press Association

A man has been found guilty of strangling British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

The 27-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is expected to be sentenced on 21 February over the death. 

Earlier, the court heard he stuffed Ms Millane's body into a suitcase, which was found buried in bushland outside Auckland.

The defendant, 27, stuffed the British backpacker's body inside a suitcase which was found buried in bushland outside Auckland, New Zealand. Source: Facebook: Grace Emmie Rose Millane

During a two-week trial, he had claimed she died accidentally during "rough sex".

On Friday a jury found the man guilty of Ms Millane's murder on 1 December last year, rejecting the argument after just hours of deliberation.

Prosecutors said the post-mortem examinations found bruises "consistent with restraint" on the Briton's body, indicating she had been strangled.

A woman lights candles during a candlelight vigil for murdered British tourist Grace Millane at Cathedral Square in Christchurch, 12 December 2018. Source: AAP

Ms Millane's parents wept in the public gallery as jurors found the defendant guilty of murder, according to local media reports.

Jurors heard the pair had met via the Tinder dating app that night - the night before Ms Millane's 22nd birthday. 

Ms Millane was travelling around New Zealand after finishing university.

Police found her body on 9 December in bushland just a few metres from a scenic drive in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges.