Christchurch terrorist who attacked mosques appeals his life sentence
The terrorist killed 51 Muslim worshippers during the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand's history in March 2019.
The Australian national had pleaded guilty to the murder of 51 Muslim worshippers.
The Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in a 2019 terrorist attack has filed an appeal for his conviction and life sentence.
"An appeal against convictions and sentence has been filed," Liz Kennedy, a spokesperson in the Office of the Chief Justice, said on Tuesday.
Armed with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Brenton Tarrant attacked Friday worshippers at two mosques in March 2019, livestreaming the killings as he went.
His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly.
The Australian national pleaded guilty to the murder of 51 worshippers, attempted murder of 40 others and one charge of terrorism. He was given the strongest penalty in New Zealand’s modern history – life in prison, with no chance of parole.
READ MORE: Families deliver powerful speeches at Christchurch attacker's hearing
'Inhuman' actions
Last year, Tarrant's lawyer Tony Ellis said his client had believed "the simplest way out was to plead guilty", which amounted to a plea made under duress.
On Tuesday, Ellis told AFP he had been sacked and was unable to comment further on the case.
During sentencing in August 2020, Judge Cameron Mander said he was imposing the harshest possible term for Tarrant's "inhuman" actions.
"Your crimes are so wicked, that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation," Mander said at the time.
After Tarrant's 17-minute livestream of his mosque attacks, Facebook said it removed a staggering 1.5 million videos that proliferated within the first 24 hours showing the harrowing viral footage.
The attacks prompted New Zealand to quickly pass new laws which banned the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. In a subsequent buyback scheme, gun owners handed over more than 50,000 weapons to police.
The attacks also prompted global pressure towards social media platforms to prevent or quickly stop future attacks from being live-streamed.
READ MORE: New Zealanders recall 'shock' on 3rd anniversary of Christchurch attack
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