Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, has launched an appeal against his life sentence and conviction for murder and terrorism.
Tarrant claims his mental health deteriorated in solitary confinement, forcing him to plead guilty under “irrationality” and nervous exhaustion.
Speaking to an appeals court on Monday, Tarrant said the conditions of his detention left him “suffering from nervous exhaustion” and uncertainty about his identity and beliefs.
He described being held in solitary confinement with limited access to reading material and little contact with other prisoners, which he said contributed to his decision to admit guilt.
Tarrant, an Australian citizen, was convicted of 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one charge of committing a terrorist act.
He is serving a life sentence without parole, marking the first time in New Zealand’s history that a court imposed a life sentence without the possibility of release.
Because Tarrant missed the formal window to file an appeal, he now requires court approval to proceed. A panel of three judges will hear his case over five days at the Court of Appeal. If successful, the appeal could return the case to trial, which had been averted when Tarrant pleaded guilty.
The Christchurch attacks occurred in March 2019, when Tarrant stormed two mosques in New Zealand’s second-largest city during Friday prayers.
Armed with military-style semi-automatic weapons, he indiscriminately shot worshippers and livestreamed the killings on Facebook. Those killed and injured were all Muslim, including children, women, and the elderly.
The attacks shocked New Zealand and the world, becoming the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history. Tarrant’s appeal has reignited public attention on the case and the conditions of his imprisonment, raising questions about mental health, justice, and accountability.
