New Zealand Court Denies Appeal from Mosque Mass Shooter Conviction

New Zealand Court Rejects Appeal from White Supremacist Killer

A New Zealand court has denied an appeal from Brenton Tarrant, the Australian white supremacist who carried out the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings that killed 51 people. The ruling was made by the country’s Court of Appeal on Thursday.

Tarrant had previously admitted to carrying out the mass shooting and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in August 2020. He had lodged an appeal, claiming that detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the attack.

The three-judge panel rejected Tarrant’s appeal, stating that they did not accept his evidence about his mental state and found inconsistencies in his claims. The judges also determined that Tarrant’s guilty pleas were voluntary and that he was not coerced or pressured into pleading guilty.

Tarrant had livestreamed his attack for 17 minutes and published an online manifesto before the incident, which targeted children, women, and the elderly. He is currently serving life in prison without parole at a New Zealand facility.

Lawyers representing survivors and families of Tarrant’s victims expressed relief over the court’s decision, stating that it would spare them from reliving the traumatic events of March 15, 2019.

Source: Al Jazeera