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NZ Court Weighs Reversing Christchurch Mosque Shooter's Guilty Pleas
world15 days ago

NZ Court Weighs Reversing Christchurch Mosque Shooter's Guilty Pleas

A three-judge Court of Appeal in Wellington heard Crown arguments opposing Brenton Tarrant’s bid to discard his 2020 guilty pleas to terrorism, murder and attempted murder, a move that would send the case back to trial. Tarrant contends his admissions were made during an irrational, solitary-prison breakdown, but prosecutors say there is no evidence of serious mental illness and the guilty pleas were supported by overwhelming evidence, including video livestreams. If the appeal fails, the case remains a life sentence with no parole and could proceed to later reviews; the hearing was unusually subdued and largely shielded from public exposure, with a ruling expected later.

via AP News|
#appeals-court#christchurch#mass-shooting
Christchurch gunman appeals to overturn guilty plea in NZ Court of Appeal
world20 days ago

Christchurch gunman appeals to overturn guilty plea in NZ Court of Appeal

Australian Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack, has gone to New Zealand’s Court of Appeal to try to withdraw his guilty plea and challenge his life sentence. He argues prison conditions were so torturous and inhumane that he could not make rational decisions when he pleaded guilty a year after the attack, and he also seeks to appeal his sentence. The week-long hearing in Wellington will include video-linked testimony; if the court allows retracting the plea, the case could return to trial on all charges; otherwise another hearing would address the sentence appeal. Victims’ families, watching via delayed broadcast, describe reopening trauma, as the massacre—which spurred NZ gun-law reforms—continues to echo in the country.

via BBC|
#brenton-tarrant#christchurch#court-of-appeal