THE New Zealand man convicted of murdering Brit backpacker Grace Millane has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.

But a Kiwi law means he still cannot be identified due to legal reasons. Here's what we can tell you about Grace's "barbaric" killer.

Who is Grace Millane's murderer?

The killer is a 28-year-old New Zealander, who cannot be named due to a continued suppression order that bans him being named or pictured.

He strangled Grace to death during sex after they met on a Tinder date on December 1, 2018.

The 21-year-old's body was later discovered buried in a suitcase, and he was later convicted of her murder.

A jury unanimously found him guilty on November 22, 2019, at the end of a two-week trial.

Grace was six weeks into a backpacking "trip of a lifetime" after recently graduating from the University of Lincoln when she was brutally murdered.

She was killed in the CityLife hotel, where the man had been living.

A family friend said the monster dated a number of British backpackers and enjoyed “the admiration of young females”.

The trial at Auckland High Court heard he was a fantasist who would tell potential sexual partners that he had celebrity connections, had been orphaned and even had cancer.

He also lied to police during his first interview, claiming he and Grace had parted ways after drinking together for two hours.

But incriminating phone data showed he had used Google to browse websites for large duffel bags, suitcases and car hire to dispose of Grace's body after she died.

He also searched online for information on "flesh-eating birds", asking "are there vultures in New Zealand?", as well as "the hottest fire", "large bags near me" and "Waitakere Ranges".

Police found her body in a shallow grave, in bushland just a few metres from a scenic drive in the Waitakere Ranges, in West Auckland.

Why can't her killer be named?

Grace Millane's killer's name still cannot be revealed due to a suppression order issued by Kiwi courts, which could remain in place till 2021.

Even the reasons for his name being withheld cannot be published, despite him being convicted and sentenced for her murder.

In the UK, however, defendants are only granted anonymity in a number of instances by courts, including where they are under 18.

The order was initially brought in after media outlets in the UK were criticised in New Zealand, days after he was arrested in December 2018.

Google also breached the order when it named the man in its "what's trending in New Zealand" mass email.

Kiwi law gives suspects and alleged victims the right to ask a court to have their name suppressed, making it illegal for it to be made public in the country.

The aim is to protect defendants who are presumed innocent until proven guilty and the privacy of alleged victims, and to ensure a fairer trial.

New Zealand law says that the court has to be satisfied that publication of the person's identity would cause hardship to the person charged, create a risk of prejudice to trial, or endanger the safety of any person – including anyone connected with the defendant.

Name suppression is also granted in cases where publication could lead to the identification of someone else whose name is suppressed.

Some international media, however, have named and pictured the killer, but others aren't able to geoblock – restricting access to internet content based on geographical location – their pages for New Zealand visitors.

But, the New Zealand Herald points out that overseas media breaching the order cannot be held accountable as they are beyond the reach of Kiwi law.

Justice Minister Andrew Little is pressing for Commonwealth countries to make court suppressions enforced beyond New Zealand's borders.

He told the Herald that Commonwealth countries have been working on this, but "it'll take a couple of years" to make them international.

What sentence was he given for killing Grace?

At the Auckland High Court on February 21, Justice Simon Moore handed Grace's murderer a life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years behind bars.

During the man's trial, crown solicitor Brian Dickey had told the jury that he had strangled her for five to ten minutes during or after sex, and then "eroticised" her death by taking intimate photos of her body.

"At some point… she lost consciousness and would have become limp and lifeless, and he would have carried on. That is reckless intent."

Dickey added: "He has a morbid sexual interest… and he has memoralised it."

During the killer's sentencing, Moore told the court: "Manual strangulation is a particularly intimate form of violence… cold-blooded.

"Your actions reveal a complete disregard for your victim.

"You didn't ring an ambulance, or call the police.

"Instead you embarked on a well-planned and sustained and coordinated course of action to conceal any evidence of what had occurred in your room."

Grace's grief-stricken mum, Gillian, told her killer that she is tormented over "the terror and pain she must have experienced at your hands".

Gillian also told the murderer that her daughter died "terrified and alone in a room with you".

Speaking via video-link at Auckland High Court, she added: "As a mother I would have done anything to change places with her.

"I sit full of guilt knowing I couldn't help her, that I should have been there.

"Your barbaric actions towards my Grace is beyond comprehension."

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