Brenton Tarrant, the Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in 2019, has failed in his bid to appeal against his guilty pleas. New Zealand's Court of Appeal dismissed the application, describing it as “utterly devoid of merit”.
Tarrant had argued that harsh prison conditions, including solitary confinement and limited reading material, had affected his mental health and compelled him to plead guilty in March 2020. However, the court found his evidence inconsistent with observations from prison authorities, mental health professionals and his trial lawyers.
“He endeavoured to mislead us about his state of mind in a weak attempt to advance an appeal,” the court said, noting that all other evidence showed he made an informed and rational decision to plead guilty. The court also highlighted Tarrant's failure to explain the delay in filing his appeal, despite having access to lawyers.
Tarrant pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and a terrorism charge, and in August 2020 became the first person in New Zealand to receive a life sentence without parole. He initially planned to defend the charges but changed his plea months before trial.
During the February hearing, Tarrant claimed he suffered “nervous exhaustion” and masked his mental illness due to the “political movement I’m a part of”. However, crown lawyer Barnaby Hawes argued Tarrant was an unreliable witness, and that evidence of his guilt, including livestreaming the attacks, was overwhelming.
The attacks prompted former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's government to ban military-style semi-automatic rifles and create a firearms registry. A coronial inquiry into the shootings, the largest in New Zealand's history, remains ongoing.
