Appeal Rejected by New Zealand Court of Appeal
A white supremacist responsible for the deaths of 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand has been denied his attempt to overturn his convictions and sentence.
Brenton Tarrant is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after admitting to the murders and attempting to kill an additional 40 worshippers during the March 2019 attack in Christchurch.
Arguments Presented in Appeal
During a week-long hearing held in February, Tarrant, now aged 35, contended that he was unable to make rational decisions at the time of his guilty plea due to what he described as "torturous and inhumane" prison conditions. He also filed an appeal against his sentence.
Court's Unanimous Decision
On Thursday, New Zealand's Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, describing his arguments as
"utterly devoid of merit".
The three-judge panel stated that the facts surrounding Tarrant's crimes are
"beyond dispute"in a unanimous ruling.
Claims of Irrational State Refuted
In his appeal, Tarrant asserted that he entered his guilty pleas while in an "irrational" and impaired mental state.
However, the judges found these claims to be inconsistent and unsupported by other witnesses, concluding that he was not
"coerced or pressured in any way"to plead guilty.
They further stated on Thursday:
"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,"
Impact of the Massacre and Legislative Response
The massacre took place at Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, with parts of the attack being live-streamed. This event prompted New Zealand to implement stricter gun control laws.
Within one month of the shootings, the New Zealand Parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons and components that could be used to assemble prohibited firearms.
The government also introduced a buy-back scheme to compensate owners of firearms that became illegal under the new legislation.
Background on Brenton Tarrant
Brenton Tarrant was born in New South Wales, Australia, and relocated to New Zealand in 2017. Prosecutors indicated that this move marked the beginning of his planning for attacks targeting the Muslim community.
He was active on fringe online forums and shortly before the attack, he published a 74-page "manifesto" outlining his racist ideology.
