CCTV footage has been played in court revealing the activity of the man accused of killing Grace Millane in the days after the British backpacker's alleged murder.
On Wednesday in the Auckland High Court, the 27-year-old man's trial continued with the jury of seven women and five men being shown video captured in early December 2018. The court previously saw footage of the man and Millane on a Tinder date on the night of December 1.
The Crown alleges that after that date and the pair going to the Auckland CityLife hotel, the man murdered Millane via sustained pressure to the neck. The Defence, however, argues that her death was an accident after a form of consensual rough sexual activity.
The jury was shown a filmed police interview between the accused and Detective Ewen Settle from December 6 last year on Wednesday. In it, the accused said on December 2 he woke at 10am after a late night of drinking. He also said he parted ways with Millane at about 8pm on December 1.
However, later in the interview, Det Settle showed the accused a photo of him with a suitcase in the CityLife elevator at 8:14am on December 2. The accused then admitted he visited The Warehouse that day to buy it.
That purchase, captured on CCTV, was shown to the jury on Wednesday. Other actions of the accused on December 2 were also displayed.
More coverage of the trial can be found here.
Timeline of December 2-6, as shown to the jury via CCTV footage.
December 2
8am: The accused enters the CityLife hotel elevator and walks into the lobby.
8:07am - Cameras at the Atrium shopping mall on Auckland's Elliot St capture the man entering The Warehouse. He walks around before approaching a large group of suitcases and choosing one. The suitcase is wheeled to the counter and paid for by the man.
8:14am - The suitcase is taken to the CityLife hotel by the man.
8:32am - The accused enters the CityLife hotel elevator and begins walking to the Victoria St West Countdown Metro store.
8:35am - Inside the supermarket, the man collects several cleaning products before walking to the self-service checkout to pay for them. He then returns to the CityLife hotel.
10:25am - The man is again seen in the CityLife hotel elevator before getting into a taxi. This takes him to a car rental store near Victoria Park. At the store, he hires a red vehicle for one day. This car is then seen being driven near the CityLife hotel.
1:33pm - The man leaves the CityLife hotel for about an hour. His activity during this period isn't shown to the jury.
4:29pm - At the Revelry bar in Ponsonby, the accused purchases a drink and takes a seat at an outside table.
5:25pm - The accused leaves the bar with a woman.
5:41pm - The hired vehicle can be seen near the CityLife hotel.
7:30pm - In the Quay St Countdown carpark, the hired red car can be seen. The accused gets out and walks into the supermarket. He approaches a RugDoctor stand before walking back to his car.
8:11pm - After going back to the CityLife hotel, the man returns to the Countdown and walks up to the RugDoctor stand with a supermarket employee. He hires one for a day and wheels it back to his car.
8:24pm - The accused wheels the cleaning machine into the CityLife hotel and up to his room's floor.
8:56pm - The man goes back down the elevator. He then takes the RugDoctor back to the Countdown supermarket.
9:26pm - The hired red car pulls up outside the CityLife hotel. The accused gets out, looks in the boot and then goes inside. He grabs a baggage trolley and wheels this to the elevator.
9:30pm - Coming from the third floor, the man wheels the trolley back into the elevator. It now has two suitcases and one sports bag on it. The lift takes him down to the foyer and he pushes the trolley out to his car. He transfers the suitcases and sports bag into the vehicle.
9:37pm - After taking the baggage trolley back into the foyer, the man gets into the vehicle and drives it to a nearby carpark. It is left here for the night and he returns to the hotel.
December 3
6:14am - The accused leaves the CityLife hotel and walks to the carpark, where he pays.
6:50am - The hired car drives into the Kumeu ITM carpark and the accused gets out. He walks into the hardware store and purchases a red shovel. After a brief exchange with the man at the counter he leaves.
9:30am - The man is seen returning to the CityLife hotel barefoot.
9:52am - With two bags, the accused leaves the hotel. He walks to the carpark and then onto a Queen St drycleaners where he drops off a bag.
10:20am - The accused purchases a suitcase at the St Lukes Warehouse. He then drives to a nearby Washworld where he cleans the hired vehicle. At a point during this, the man grabs a shoe from the car boot and washes it. He also takes the red shovel to another cleaning bay and leaves it leaning against a wall.
11:20am - He arrives back at the CityLife hotel with two suitcases.
11:44am - The man fills up the hired car with petrol at a Mobil petrol station.
3:17pm - He visits the dry cleaners again and is given the bag he deposited earlier.
December 5
4:50pm - The accused walks through Albert Park in Auckland Central. He takes several items out of a bag and puts them into a rubbish bin. He then returns to the CityLife hotel.
December 6
5:18am - The accused goes outside the CityLife hotel and uses his phone. A few minutes later he enters a white car that the Crown prosecutor suggested was likely an Uber. He returns at 5:58am, but the jury isn't shown what the man does.
2:19pm - Detective Toni Jordan makes inquiries at the CityLife hotel as part of the Millane missing person operation.
2:47pm - The accused goes outside to a dairy near the hotel. Det Jordan sees the accused. She and her partner jog after the man as he walks down to a Queen St store.
Later that day, the police interview with the man was conducted.
Under cross-examination, Detective Adam Bicknell - who was in charge of the CCTV footage throughout the Millane investigation - confirmed that the footage shown to the jury is only a highlights compilation. Several of the accused's comings-and-goings from the hotel are therefore not shown.
The trial continues on Thursday.
Newshub.
