‘He destroyed our family’: Grace Millane’s mother breaks silence

The mother of Grace Millane, a British backpacker tragically killed by a man she met on Tinder, expressed her devastation over the loss of her daughter. Gillian Millane stated that she refuses to acknowledge the murderer’s name, Kempson, who took her daughter’s life.

Kempson was found guilty of ending the life of 22-year-old Grace and hiding her remains in a forest for over a week. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 17 years. He claimed the act occurred during a consensual intimate encounter in a hotel room.

According to the Daily Mail, Gillian Millane, speaking to The Extraordinary Ordinary podcast, shared her distress during the 2019 trial, describing the experience as excruciating, having to listen to details that denigrated her daughter’s reputation. Grace, a fresh graduate aspiring to explore places like New Zealand, was in the country for a brief two-week visit after her travels in South America.

The family suffered another blow when Grace’s father, David Millane, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which later took his life the next year. Gillian, “who had recently overcome breast cancer prior to her daughter’s demise, said she felt isolated in her grief.

However, she has since found strength and purpose, becoming an active supporter of organizations like White Ribbon, which emphasizes the importance of individual rights and safety. Gillian mentioned that she still feels surrounded by darkness but is slowly finding light in her life.

In later developments, Kempson faced convictions for crimes against former partners, including sexual violations and threats of harm. In 2020, he was additionally found guilty of assaulting another British tourist. For these additional crimes, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, to run concurrently with his existing sentence.