Grace Millane: Jury sworn in for backpacker murder trial Published duration 4 November 2019 Related Topics Grace Millane trial

image copyright Lucie Blackman Trust image caption Miss Millane had been travelling alone in New Zealand

A jury has been sworn in for the trial of a man accused of murdering a British backpacker.

Grace Millane, 22, was last seen in central Auckland, New Zealand, on 1 December last year, before her body was found in bushland a week later.

A 27-year-old local man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has denied her murder.

The Auckland High Court trial is scheduled to last up to five weeks.

Miss Millane's death prompted an outpouring of public grief in New Zealand with the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologising to her family.

She had been travelling alone in New Zealand for two weeks, following a six-week group trip through South America.