Flowers and tributes for the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack are displayed outside the Masjid Al-Ameen Mosque in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday, March 22. | Photo: Mark Coote | Bloomberg
Text Size:

Christchurch: The gunman who murdered 51 people at two Christchurch mosques last year has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, the longest penalty ever imposed by a New Zealand court.

Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 29, was sentenced by Justice Mander at the High Court in Christchurch on Thursday, local media reported. In March, Tarrant unexpectedly pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act.

His sentence was delivered after a harrowing four-day hearing in which more than 90 victims and families presented impact statements to the court.

On March 15 last year, the lone gunman drove to a mosque in central Christchurch and opened fire with modified semi-automatic weapons, live-streaming the shootings to social media. More than 40 worshippers were killed there. He then drove across town to a second mosque and continued his rampage.

Tarrant was apprehended by two police officers who ran his car off the road. He was on his way to another target, police said.

It was the most horrific event in living memory in New Zealand and shocked the relatively peaceful South Pacific nation. The government swiftly banned the military style weapons and assault rifles used in the massacre.

Tarrant fired his lawyers and represented himself in court, raising fears he might use the sentencing as a platform to promote hateful views. However, he chose not to speak or offer any explanations for his crimes. – Bloomberg

 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram

Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it

You are reading this because you value good, intelligent and objective journalism. We thank you for your time and your trust.

You also know that the news media is facing an unprecedented crisis. It is likely that you are also hearing of the brutal layoffs and pay-cuts hitting the industry. There are many reasons why the media’s economics is broken. But a big one is that good people are not yet paying enough for good journalism.

We have a newsroom filled with talented young reporters. We also have the country’s most robust editing and fact-checking team, finest news photographers and video professionals. We are building India’s most ambitious and energetic news platform. And have just turned three.

At ThePrint, we invest in quality journalists. We pay them fairly. As you may have noticed, we do not flinch from spending whatever it takes to make sure our reporters reach where the story is.

This comes with a sizable cost. For us to continue bringing quality journalism, we need readers like you to pay for it.

If you think we deserve your support, do join us in this endeavour to strengthen fair, free, courageous and questioning journalism. Please click on the link below. Your support will define ThePrint’s future.

Support Our Journalism