'Why should he be protected?' Vigilante businessman who broke the law to reveal the identity of British backpacker Grace Millane's depraved killer faces jailtime and a $25,000 fine
A businessman who broke the law by naming Grace Millane's murderer online is hoping to walk free from court, despite admitting his guilt.
Leo Molloy, who owns high profile Auckland restaurant HeadQuarters in the Viaduct, broke the suppression order when he shared the name of the man accused of killing the British backpacker.
Mr Molloy wrote the social media post hours before a jury found the 28-year-old man guilty of murdering Ms Millane after a nearly month-long trial in the High Court at Auckland.
Anyone found guilty of breaking a suppression order in New Zealand face up to six months' behind bars or a $25,000 fine.
A company found breaching a suppression order faces a fine of up to $100,000.
British backpacker Grace Millane, left, was strangled to death after meeting her killer via Tinder on December 1, 2018 – the day before her 22nd birthday
Leo Molloy, who owns high profile Auckland restaurant HeadQuarters in the Viaduct, broke the suppression order when he named the man accused of killing the British backpacker
The killer had been granted name suppression ahead of the trial. The reasons for his name suppression are also suppressed.
Mr Molloy, 63, shared the killer's name because he felt 'people need to know', the New Zealand Herald reported.
He later told police the killer 'had no rights'.
'Why should he be protected when this poor little girl wasn't, and her family wasn't.'
In June he pleaded guilty to knowingly or recklessly breaching Criminal Procedure Act suppression provisions.
He will face court on Thursday for sentencing. His lawyer, David Jones QC, indicated his client would apply for a discharge without conviction.
Ms Millane's body was later found in a suitcase buried in a forested area outside the city
Ms Millane had just started to travel the world after recently graduating from university when she went on the date (Pictured: CCTV footage followed Ms Millane and her killer throughout their their date, including their first stop at a casino
Ms Millane was backpacking around New Zealand when she was strangled to death after meeting her killer on Tinder on December 1, 2018 – the day before her 22nd birthday.
Ms Millane's body was later found in a suitcase buried in a forested area outside the city.
The killer claimed Ms Millane died accidentally after the pair engaged in rough sex that went too far.
He appeared in Auckland's high court in February, and had been assessed in his pre-sentencing report as being of 'very high risk' based on his 'complex needs' and the severity of his crime.
A jury last November rejected that argument and found the man guilty. He has since appealed his conviction and sentence.
Murder typically comes with a life sentence in New Zealand. Prosecutors successfully argued that the man must serve 17 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Grace's final hours on the Tinder date that led to her death:
December 1, 2018
5.45pm: Grace Millane was shown arriving in front of the casino's 20 foot tall Christmas tree, where she stood waiting for her date. She sends a picture of the tree to her parents in Essex. He arrives and they hug.
6pm: The two of them walk into the casino and find Andy's Burger Bar.He and Grace were seen ordering drinks and finding a table.
7.12pm: The couple left the burger bar and cross the road into the Mexican cafe where they spend the next hour until the defendant came pay the bill with her standing beside him.
8.27pm: The pair were filmed in the distance crossing Albert Street and moving ever closer to the killer's home. They headed into the Bluestone Room where the accused had earlier been drinking beer alone. They kiss
9.41pm: CCTV shows the couple entering the hotel where the killer was living. They enter the lift and head to the killer's apartment. In the hours that followed she was brutally murdered, possibly in the early hours of December 2, her birthday.