Andrew Little, New Zealand’s justice minister, must now reconsider whether Mr Kyung should be extradited

A court in New Zealand has blocked the first extradition of a murder suspect to China, ordering the case to be reviewed in light of Beijing’s “widespread” use of torture.

In a 99-page decision, three court of appeal judges quashed a ministerial decision to extradite Kyung Kim to China, ruling that the risk of torture meant his extradition breached New Zealand’s international obligations.

The court said that Andrew Little, the New Zealand justice minister, must reconsider whether Mr Kyung should be extradited. A Korean citizen who moved to New Zealand 30 years ago, he is accused of killing a 20-year-old woman in Shanghai in 2009.

Mr Kyung was arrested in 2011 and spent five years in jail before being released on bail.

“New Zealand has