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A white supremacist responsible for the tragic massacre at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 has failed in his attempt to overturn his conviction and sentence. This marks a significant legal development in a case that deeply affected the nation.
Brenton Tarrant, aged 35, confessed to orchestrating New Zealand’s most lethal mass shooting in modern history, which led to his life imprisonment in August 2020. The case drew widespread attention and condemnation across the globe.
Tarrant was found guilty of 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one charge of committing a terrorist act. These charges reflect the severity and brutality of his actions on that fateful day.
In February, Tarrant, originally from Australia, brought his appeal to the Court of Appeal. He argued that the “torturous and inhumane” conditions of his detention impaired his ability to make rational decisions at the time he entered his guilty plea.
However, the court dismissed these claims, stating in documents released on Thursday, “This Court does not accept Mr. Tarrant’s evidence about his mental state.” The ruling underscores the court’s stance on the credibility of Tarrant’s assertions regarding his mental health during the trial.
“There were inconsistencies in Mr Tarrant’s own evidence, and his evidence is at odds with the detailed observations of prison authorities and the assessments of mental health professionals at the time of him entering his pleas.”
The panel of three judges found the shooter’s guilty pleas were voluntary, and “he was not coerced or pressured in any way to plead guilty”.
“The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that he was not suffering any significant psychological impacts as a result of his prison conditions at the time he pleaded guilty,” the court said.
The court said Tarrant’s “proposed conviction appeal is utterly devoid of merit”.
He live-streamed his attack on Al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in March 2019, before being apprehended by police.
He released a racist manifesto shortly before storming the mosques armed with military-style semi-automatics, indiscriminately shooting at Muslim people gathered for Friday prayers and broadcasting the killings on Facebook using a head-mounted camera.
The massacre shocked the world and prompted New Zealand to quickly tighten gun laws.
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