Grace Millane: A Tragedy That Changed Laws
LOVE MURDER
Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette
4.8 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 November 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On December 1, 2018, 22-year-old backpacker Grace Millane met a man for a Tinder date in Auckland; within days she was missing, and soon a homicide investigation revealed CCTV trails, a calculated cleanup, and a killer who tried to hide behind the so-called “rough sex” defense. This episode traces Grace’s life and travels, the meticulous police work that unraveled the lie, the trial that led to a murder conviction, and the global backlash that helped spur legal reforms aimed at preventing abusers from blaming victims.
Sources:
- The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane (documentary) — https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-lie-the-murder-of-grace-millane/umc.cmc.25e1hupsruxwcfvbjnixz7mtr
- Supreme Court of New Zealand, Jesse Shane Kempson v R (PDF) — https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2021/2021-NZSC-74.pdf
- RNZ, The Grace Millane case: A timeline — https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/410039/the-grace-millane-case-a-timeline
- RNZ, Grace Millane’s killer named as Jesse Kempson after Supreme Court appeal denied — https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/433383/grace-millane-s-killer-named-as-jesse-kempson-after-supreme-court-appeal-denied
- New Zealand Police, Update – Grace Millane investigation — https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/update-grace-millane-investigation-1
- UK Government, Domestic Abuse Act factsheet: Consent to serious harm for sexual gratification not a defence — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bill-2020-factsheets/consent-to-serious-harm-for-sexual-gratification-not-a-defence
- UK Legislation, Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Section 72 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/17/section/72
- NZ Herald, Grace Millane murder: Killer jailed for a minimum of 17 years — https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/grace-millane-murder-killer-jailed-for-a-minimum-of-17-years/P6RDWB4JUETPINBVWC5UH6HH6Y/
- The Guardian, Grace Millane trial: jury shown CCTV of accused moving suitcase with body inside — https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/13/grace-millane-trial-jury-shown-cctv-of-accused-transporting-suitcase-with-body-inside
- TIME, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Offers Emotional Apology to Family of Murdered British Tourist — https://time.com/5475149/jacinda-ardern-grace-millane-new-zealand-murder/
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Credits: Love Murder is hosted by Jessie Pray and Andie Cassette, researched by Sarah Lynn Robinson and researched and written by Jessie Pray, produced by Nathaniel Whittemore and edited by Kyle Barbour-Hoffman
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Okay, Andy, I am so excited to be back in the listener chair this week. |
| 0:04.7 | What story do you have for us to kick off November? |
| 0:07.6 | On the night of her 22nd birthday, backpacker Grace Mullane matched with a stranger on Tinder |
| 0:12.9 | while exploring New Zealand. |
| 0:14.7 | What should have been a harmless date turned into a nightmare that shocked the world |
| 0:18.2 | and exposed the dark side of modern dating. |
| 0:21.4 | I'm Jesse Prey, and I'm Andy Cassette, and this Hi, Jesse. Welcome back everyone to Love Murder, a podcast about red flags, body bags, |
| 0:55.8 | and love gone fatally wrong. You can find Love Murder on TikTok and Instagram at Love Murder Pod |
| 1:01.1 | and on Facebook by searching Love Murder Podcast. If you are enjoying this show, pretty please, love slash |
| 1:07.1 | murder, a five-star rating on your podcast app. Subscribe and leave a nice review to help people discover the show. |
| 1:14.2 | Yeah, if you don't have anything nice to say, just send us a DM. |
| 1:17.8 | It's just true, true. |
| 1:19.4 | Thank you. |
| 1:20.0 | Please and thank you. |
| 1:21.0 | Also, if you are feeling festive or want to support the show this holiday season, more directly, you can head on over to |
| 1:29.2 | Patreon.com slash Love Murder Pod where you can learn all about the different tiers of support. |
| 1:34.1 | We are so excited this week to shout out an amazing new set of patrons. |
| 1:37.9 | So a big old thank you to Evan N. and Sharona H. |
| 1:42.2 | Colleen P. and Terry S. |
| 1:44.7 | Matt B. and Natasha H. |
| 1:46.7 | And Heather T. |
| 1:47.6 | Welcome, everyone. |
... |
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