The 27-year-old accused has been remanded in custody over killing in New Zealand

The New Zealand man accused of murdering British backpacker Grace Millane has pleaded not guilty at Auckland’s high court.

The 27-year-old man, whose name has been suppressed by the court, appeared in court on Wednesday morning, his second appearance since his arrest in December last year.

Millane, 21, disappeared from central Auckland on 1 December, and her body was found in dense bushland in west Auckland a week later. A memorial was held in her Essex village last week, and attended by the New Zealand detective who led the inquiry into her disappearance.

The accused is alleged to have murdered Millane sometime between December 1 and 2 last year, according to court documents seen by the New Zealand Herald.

Justice Simon Moore scheduled a murder trial for 4 November, which is expected to last three weeks, the New Zealand Herald reported. Moore repeated warnings to the media and the general public to honour the accused’s name suppression, after numerous UK media outlets published his name and photograph following his first court appearance in December. Members of the public also shared his name and photographs widely on social media platforms and blogs.

The accused was denied name suppression at his first court appearance, on 10 December, but his lawyers were given 20 working days to appeal, which expires in late January.

The accused has been remanded in custody to next appear in court on 3 April, Stuff reported.

Millane was travelling in New Zealand as part of a year-long overseas experience, and was last seen alive on CCTV footage entering the CityLife hotel in central Auckland on the night she disappeared.

Grace’s father, David Millane, spent a week in New Zealand following the discovery of his daughter’s body, and thanked the people of New Zealand for their kindness and compassion.

“Grace was not born here and only managed to stay a few weeks, but you have taken her to your hearts and in some small way she will forever be a Kiwi,” Millane said. “We all hope that what has happened to Grace will not deter even one person from venturing out into the world.”

Mass candlelit vigils were held for Millane in every major town in New Zealand, and grief experts said many Kiwis experienced “vicarious trauma” about the murder in the usually safe country.