Man charged with murder of British backpacker Grace Millane called a 'scumbag' in New Zealand court

The 22-year-old, from Essex, was found dead on Sunday – more than week after she was last seen alive in Auckland

The man charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane was called a “scumbag” in court.

Miss Millane, 22, disappeared in Auckland, New Zealand on 1 December.

Kiwi police searched for her until Sunday, when officers discovered a body in the outskirts of the city.

The 26-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was heckled in court – with one person in the public gallery labelling him a “scumbag”.

Court documents reveal the suspect had been staying at the Citylife Hotel on Queen Street in central Auckland, which is where Miss Millane was last seen before her death.

The judge said the grief felt by Miss Millane’s family “must be desperate”.

Ms Millane’s father David, along with other family members, was in court as Judge Thomas addressed them.

He said: “I’d like to acknowledge the presence of Grace’s family.

“I don’t know what we say to you at this time.

“Your grief must be desperate.

All of us hope that justice for Grace is fair, swift and ultimately brings you some peace.

“That will not be happening today, there will be no judgement today. It is important there is no judgement today.

“There will be in all likelihood a number of procedural issues we need to deal with today.

“Those are all part and parcel of a process that has judgement as its end goal, not its starting point.”

Police suspect the University of Lincoln graduate from Essex was killed between 1 December and 2 December, according to documents supplied to the court.

The body – which is yet to be formally identified but the police believe to be Miss Millane’s – was found “about 10 metres” from Scenic Drive, a countryside road on the outskirts if the city, Det Insp Scott Beard said.

Miss Millane had been travelling in New Zealand for a fortnight, straight after a six-week group trip exploring South America.

Police announced that Miss Millane was “no longer alive” after reviewing CCTV footage, the forensic examination of CityLife Hotel, and the discovery of a vehicle.

Her family said they were “devastated” after being told the missing persons case had become a murder investigation.

While New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there was an “overwhelming sense of hurt and shame that this has happened in our country”.

“On behalf on New Zealand, I want to apologise to Grace’s family,” she said. “Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn’t, and I’m sorry for that.”

Grace’s brother Declan Millane shared a collection of photographs of his sister online, alongside the lyrics to the chorus of the song You Are My Sunshine.

Grace’s father, David Millane, described his daughter as “lovely” and “family-orientated” during a news conference in Auckland on Friday.

The University of Lincoln, from which Miss Millane graduated earlier this year, paid tribute and said its community was “deeply saddened”.