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NZ backpacker killer convicted of raping and attacking other women

Jesse Kempson was allowed to keep his name secret through court proceedings
Jesse Kempson was allowed to keep his name secret through court proceedings

The man who murdered British backpacker Grace Millane after meeting her on a dating app has also been convicted of two other violent offences against women.

Jesse Shane Kempson, who New Zealand's Supreme Court ruled can now be named, was convicted of murdering Ms Millane by strangling her in a hotel in Auckland after meeting her via Tinder on 1 December, 2018 - the day before her 22nd birthday.

The 28-year-old has since been convicted of further violent offences in two recent trials, including raping another woman he met on Tinder.

Kempson, who opted for the trials in October and November to be heard before a judge, was convicted of rape last month.

He was also convicted of threatening to kill, two charges of assault with a weapon, three assaults and two counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection at a trial in October, court documents state.

Kempson was allowed to keep his name secret through the court proceedings as his defence counsel argued naming him would prevent him getting a fair trial.

The Supreme Court has now allowed his name to be made public stating "the orders suppressing the name of the applicant in relation to his conviction for the murder of Ms Millane and his October and November convictions now lapse".

British backpacker Grace Millane was mudered in December 2018

It comes after Kempson had appealed to the New Zealand Court of Appeal in August, but it found against him on Friday, according to court documents seen by the PA news agency.

The judges said the Auckland murder was "committed with a high degree of callousness" due to the man failing "to call for assistance, searching on the internet for methods of body disposal ... taking steps preparatory to disposing of the body and going on another date while Ms Millane's body remained in his room".

The judges also found his sentence was not "manifestly unjust".

Ms Millane's body was found in a suitcase buried in a forested area.

Kempson was convicted by a jury in November 2019 and jailed in February for at least 17 years for the murder.

He claimed Ms Millane, of Wickford, Essex, died accidentally after the pair engaged in rough sex that went too far.

In sentencing, Justice Simon Moore told Kempson his actions amounted to "conduct that underscores a lack of empathy and sense of self-entitlement and objectification".

On Friday, the judges upheld that saying: "Ms Millane was particularly vulnerable, being intoxicated, in a strange apartment, naked, in the arms of a comparative stranger with whom she thought she could trust, and with his hands around her throat".

Ms Millane's father David Millane, 62, died last month after a battle with cancer, New Zealand Police said.

On Friday, the force issued a statement from the Millane family, who said they were "pleased at the outcome that has been reached" in the loss of the appeal.