Jailed NZ mosque shooter wants convictions overturned

The white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshipers and injured dozens at two mosques in New Zealand is appealing his conviction and sentence.

Brenton Tarrant, 35, committed the worst mass shooting in the country’s history by opening fire at two mosques in Christchurch in March 2019.

“The Australian national was convicted of 51 murders, 40 attempted murders and one count of committing an act of terrorism and is serving a life sentence without parole.

This was the first time a New Zealand court sentenced a person to prison for the rest of his life.

While Tarrant pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2020, he is applying for leave to appeal his conviction and sentence

“I only pleaded guilty under duress through torture,” Tarrant wrote in his notice of appeal.

Tarrant published a racist manifesto shortly before attacking mosques with military-style semi-automatic weapons, opening indiscriminate fire at Muslims gathered for Friday prayers, and live-streaming the killings on Facebook using a head-mounted camera.

New Zealand’s worst peacetime murder shocked the country and led the government to quickly tighten gun laws.

The trial will begin in Wellington on Monday, where the Court of Appeal will consider an application to quash Tarrant’s guilty plea and hold a hearing.

If the court rejects his request, Tarrant is seeking permission to appeal his sentence.