Australian Brenton Tarrant, sentenced to life in prison by a New Zealand court for the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks, intends to withdraw his guilty plea and appeal his sentence, RNZ reported.
According to the radio, Tarrant, who killed 51 people during the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019, has applied for a retrial. During the hearing, which starts later this week, the 35-year-old is expected to tell the court about “torture and inhuman conditions in prison” which have left him “unable to make rational decisions”. Based on this, the Australian will ask the court to overturn his guilty plea entered in March 2020.
If the three Court of Appeal judges decide that Tarrant can withdraw his guilty plea, his case could be sent back to court for a retrial on all charges. If he is not allowed to withdraw his guilty plea, another appeal hearing against the sentence itself will be held later.
Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole on 27 August 2020. The Australian, who pleaded guilty in full, received the heaviest sentence in New Zealand’s history: the first time a convict has been denied the right to seek parole for the entire term of his sentence.
On March 15, 2019, mosques were attacked in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks killed 51 people and injured another 50, and the attacks were classified as terrorist attacks. The attacker broadcast live on social media during the attack on the mosque and published a “manifesto” with far-right slogans a day before.
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Assessment 4.3 from 7 voice.
date:2026-02-09 03:15:00
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