The Sensible Sentencing Trust says there is no justification for continuing name suppression for the man convicted of killing Grace Millane.
The man convicted of murdering Grace Millane should be named, says Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesperson Jess McVicar. Photo: RNZ / YouTube
It took a jury just over five hours to find the 27-year-old guilty in the High Court in Auckland yesterday.
Trust spokesperson Jess McVicar said every little detail about the British backpacker had been exposed in the media, yet the man found guilty of her murder had his identity hidden.
"It's difficult to think why on earth this man still has suppression," Ms McVicar said.
"What hardship could he face? Similarly, the suppression is hardly to protect the victim. Instead it makes a mockery of Grace's family's rights to open justice.
"The justice system has once again protected the identity of a perpetrator, even now when he has been found guilty of a brutally cruel murder."
The reasons behind the name suppression were suppressed and the situation demonstrated that laws on name suppression needed to be tightened, she said.
Police warn against naming convicted killer
The man convicted of the murder had been named on social media accounts in New Zealand, police said today.
"While we appreciate the public feeling around this case, we do want to remind the public that it is an offence to breach a court order such as a name suppression - this includes naming someone on social media," police said in a statement.
International media report name
International media are reporting the name of the man convicted of murdering Grace Millane in defiance of the court suppression order.
The suppression applies to international media but New Zealand cannot enforce the law outside its jurisdiction.
Earlier this year, international media repeatedly named the man.
Google apologised after it named the man in an automatically generated search highlight email that was sent to New Zealand subscribers.