Grace Millane: Police search for shovel linked to murder of young British woman in New Zealand
Police say they found the 22-year-old university graduate's body "intact" in an area of bush in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges.
Tuesday 11 December 2018 11:54, UK
Police investigating the murder of Grace Millane are looking for a shovel believed to be linked to her death.
The appeal came as investigators revealed they had found the 22-year-old British woman's body "intact" in an area of bush in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges.
A 26-year-old man appeared in a New Zealand court on Monday charged with her murder.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said officers are now looking for a long-handle shovel connected to the case.
"At this point we don't know where this item is," he said.
"It could be anywhere between the Scenic Drive and central Auckland areas.
"Someone may have come across it, picked it up and taken it home. We need to speak to that person or anyone who has seen it."
The man charged with Ms Millane's murder cannot be named for legal reasons and New Zealand's justice minister Andrew Little has criticised some British media for publishing his identity.
"The international media, particularly the British media are not helping the Millane family," Mr Little said.
"We want to do justice for the family. Justice means the person accused is held to account.
"Things that happen overseas that undermine this are an unhelpful action for the family."
The suspect is in custody and is yet to enter a plea to the charge of murdering Ms Millane between 1 and 2 December.
As he was led out of the Auckland courtroom, a person in the public gallery yelled: "Scumbag."
He was listed on a charge sheet as residing at the CityLife Hotel on Queen Street in central Auckland, where Ms Millane was last seen on Saturday 1 December with a male companion.
Ms Millane's father David travelled to New Zealand and attended the suspect's court appearance with other family members.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has issued an apology to Grace's family, saying "your daughter should have been safe here and she wasn't".
She said: "Firstly, I cannot imagine the grief of her family and what they will be experiencing and feeling right now.
"From the Kiwis I have spoken to there is this overwhelming sense of hurt and shame that this has happened in our country, a place that prides itself on our hospitality... especially to those who are visiting our shores."
Ms Millane's death comes just weeks after she had left her home in Wickford, Essex, to see the world.
After more than a month in South America, she had arrived in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, on 20 November.
She was last seen entering a central city hotel with a man more than a week ago and police were called after her regular pattern of communication with family was stopped.
Detectives have released images of a red Toyota Corolla hatchback and have asked anyone who saw the vehicle on Monday 3 December between 6.30am and 9.30am to contact them.
The car was rented in central Auckland on Sunday and later found in Taupo, in the centre of the North Island.