Businessman admits sharing footage of the Christchurch terrorist attack and asking for a crosshair and 'kill count' to be added to it
- Man pleads guilty to charges of distributing footage of Christchurch massacre
- Philip Neville Arps, 44, remains in custody and will be sentenced in June
- Among 10 charged with objectionable publication offences regarding livestream
- Court heard Arps allegedly shared livestream and requested it to be modified
A controversial businessman has admitted to sharing livestream footage of last month's devastating Christchurch terrorist attack which claimed 50 lives.
Philip Neville Arps, 44, pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing the chilling footage the day after the March 15 massacre when he appeared in Christchurch District Court on Friday.
The Christchurch businessman is among 10 people charged with objectionable publication offences in relation to the livestream under New Zealand's 1993 Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act.
Philip Neville Arps (pictured in court in March ) has been remanded in custody since his arrest
The court heard Arps allegedly sent the video to an unknown person and requested for the footage to be modified with a 'kill count' as victims were shot, Stuff reported.
He also allegedly requested crosshairs be added as if the viewer was looking through a rifle scope.
He then allegedly distributed the unmodified footage to another 30 people.
When interviewed by police, Arps admitted to requesting the livestream footage to be modified and thought it was 'awesome', the court heard.
When questioned about the massacre at Christchurch two mosques– he replied: 'I could not give a f..., mate.'
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Philip Neville Arps (pictured) has pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing the chilling footage of the Christchurch massacre which claimed 50 lives
Arps was remanded in custody for sentenced on June 14, where he faces up to 14 years behind bars.
His request to be assessed for a home detention sentence was denied by Judge Stephen O'Driscoll.
In the days following the massacre, New Zealand's chief censor banned the livestream footage of the terror attack and the manifesto allegedly written and released by Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant.
Tarrant faces 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges in relation to the Christchurch massacre.
Arps, whose insulation firm has Nazi themes in its company logo, is no stranger to controversy.
Controversial Christchurch businessman Philip Arps (pictured) will be sentenced in June
He and two other men delivered a box containing a severed pig head to the Masjid Al-Noor mosque in 2016, three years before it was targeted the recent terror attack.
In the Islamic faith pork is considered unclean and the consumption of it is prohibited as outlined in the Qur'an.
Arps was fined $800 and ordered to pay $130 court costs in relation to the 2016 incident.
'It was a deliberate attack, and deliberate offence against Muslims, were the judge's words. Obviously the judge knows me well,' Arps said to the camera after his appeal against the charge was dismissed.
Christchurch businessman Philip Arps (pictured) faces up to 14 years behind bars
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