Christchurch Mosque Killer Brenton Tarrant Fails in Bid to Overturn 2019 Convictions, Sentence
Brenton Tarrant, who admitted to the murder of 51 people and the attempted murder of 40 others at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019, has had his appeal dismissed. Tarrant, 35, is currently serving a life sentence without parole.
During a week-long hearing in February, Tarrant argued he was unable to make rational decisions when he entered his guilty pleas due to "torturous and inhumane" prison conditions. He also contested his sentence.
New Zealand's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that Tarrant's arguments were "utterly devoid of merit". The panel of three judges stated in a unanimous decision that the facts surrounding Tarrant's crimes are "beyond dispute".
The judges found Tarrant's claims of an irrational mental state, induced by prison conditions, to be inconsistent and unsupported by witness testimony. They concluded he was not "coerced or pressured in any way" into pleading guilty.
"He has not identified any arguable defence, or indeed any defence known to the law. We have also rejected his claim that his guilty pleas were the product of him having an irrational state of mind induced by his prison conditions," the court stated.
The massacre at the Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, parts of which were live-streamed, prompted significant changes to gun laws in New Zealand. Within a month of the attacks, parliament overwhelmingly voted to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons and parts for prohibited firearms.
Aya al-Umari, whose brother Hussein was killed in the attack, expressed her relief at the court's decision, noting it reaffirmed that justice continues to be served. Tarrant, an Australian national, moved to New Zealand in 2017, reportedly to plan his attacks against the Muslim community. He posted a 74-page manifesto detailing his racist views shortly before the massacre.
