GUILTY New Zealand - Christchurch Mosque shooting, dead & injured reported, 15 March 2019 #2 *appeal filed 2022*

[JudgeJudi]

During the four-day sentencing hearing at the Christchurch High Court, Judge Mander will hear statements from 66 survivors of the attack.

The court was sealed off on Monday morning with sniffer dogs checking lines of court staff and media queuing outside in the drizzle.

BT, who is likely to be present in the courtroom and is representing himself, got off a New Zealand Air Force plane at Christchurch Airport on Sunday. TV footage showed him wearing a protective vest and helmet as armed officers escorted him into the back of a white van.

Judge Mander has imposed extraordinary restrictions on media to ensure that even if BT spouts neo-Nazi propaganda from the dock it does not gain publicity. Providing live updates - a common practice for media covering court cases - has been banned.

The Judge will inform media after each court session what can and cannot be reported, with any breaches likely to result in a contempt of court charge.

Australia and NZ are so behind the times regarding live streaming and tweeting and it's time both countries moved into the modern era, even if it's only for high profile trials. As far as I'm concerned, if courtrooms are open to the public, there is no reason why we can't get updates at the very least.

 

[JudgeJudi]

BT had plans to target a third mosque, his sentencing hearing has heard.

He also planned to burn down the mosques, wanting to "inflict as many fatalities as possible".

He gathered information about mosques in New Zealand - studying floor plans, locations and further details - with the aim of targeting them at the time they would be busiest.

In the months before the attack, he travelled to Christchurch and flew a drone over his primary target, the Al Noor mosque.

He also planned to target the Ashburton Mosque in addition to the Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre.

He told police after his arrest that his plan was to burn down the mosques after his attack, and that he wished he had done so.

He now faces life in prison, possibly without parole - a sentence never before imposed in New Zealand.

Christchurch gunman wanted to attack third mosque

 

[JudgeJudi]

The last close people he contacted before starting his massacre was his family in a text message sent at 1.31pm, telling them of his plans. Police received the first 111 call from the An-nur (Al Noor) mosque 10 minutes later.

He was led into court with his arms and legs shackled and flanked by at least four Corrections officers.

New details emerged as the summary of facts was read in court, including his planning of the attack and graphic accounts of the "systematic" shootings he carried out inside and outside the mosques, including of young children.

He planned his attack to the finest details, timing his entry into the mosques when the maximum number of worshippers would be present, and anticipating the times needed to carry out the attacks and travel between the mosques.

All the details of the day of attack are in the link.

NZ mosque shooter sent text to family minutes before killing 51

There are no words to describe how evil and cruel this individual is.

 

[JerseyGirl]

New Zealand mosque mass shooter to speak at sentencing trial -- but what he says will be censored

The sentencing hearing for the gunman who admitted to killing 51 worshippers in two Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques last year will begin Monday, as survivors and the families of the victims will address a socially distant courtroom over the course of the next four days.

The gunman himself will also have an opportunity to address the court before he is sentenced, raising fears he could try to use the occasion as a platform to promote his White supremacist views.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 29, from Australia, pleaded guilty in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism — the first terrorism conviction in New Zealand’s history.

 

[kiwijayne]

I just watched the news coverage and listened to some of the victim impact statements.

It was very moving to listen to them stating that he’d done the opposite of dividing us but instead bringing us together.

 

[JudgeJudi]

Day 2 of sentencing hearing:

Victim impact statements:

'Low-life': Families of Christchurch shooting victims stare down gunman in court

'You thought you could break us, but you failed miserably': Christchurch mosque victims face gunman

 

[JudgeJudi]

Day 3 of sentencing hearing:

BT indicated Wednesday that he would not speak personally in his defense after hearing face-to-face testimony from surviving victims and relatives of those killed in his rampage.

Tense scenes have played out this week as victims have come face to face with the gunman. Some have urged Judge Mander to impose the maximum life sentence without the possibility of parole. A Wellington-based lawyer said in an email that the judge could impose that penalty if he is satisfied that no minimum term would be sufficient to protect the community, hold Tarrant accountable for the harm done, denounce the gunman’s actions, and deter Tarrant or others from committing similar offenses.

The Judge asked BT if he wanted to say anything in his defense, and he replied, “No.” But a court-appointed standby lawyer, Philip Hall, indicated he would make a brief statement Thursday on Tarrant’s behalf.

The father of one of the victims said, “I do not forgive you for what you have done, but while you are in prison you will come to the reality that you are now in hell, and only the fire awaits you”. He referred to BT as “trash” and added, “You deserve to be buried in a landfill.” Quite a fitting comment for such a filthy piece of garbage.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...bd2944-e6a4-11ea-bf44-0d31c85838a5_story.html

91 victim impact statements were heard over the course of the past 3 days with many describing him as a coward.

Oral submissions will be made by the Crown prosecutor tomorrow morning before BT is sentenced.

 

[kiwijayne]

Just announced on TV he got life without parole a first for NZ

 

[JudgeJudi]

The judge imposed the maximum available sentence, the first time the sentence has been imposed in New Zealand.

Judge Mander said Tarrant's crimes were so wicked that a lifetime in jail could not begin to atone for them. He said they had caused enormous loss and hurt and stemmed from a warped and malignant ideology.

“Your actions were inhuman,” Mander said. “You deliberately killed a three-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father.”

None of the judge’s poignant and emotive words could elicit a reaction from the defendant.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceani...ntence-for-mosque-gunman-20200827-p55pt6.html

 

[JudgeJudi]

In handing down the sentence, the Judge said there was no minimum period of imprisonment to sufficiently denounce this crime.

"Your crimes are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die, it would not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation."

 

[ZoriahNZ]

Thank you for keeping us updated. The victim impact statements were so moving and powerful. He's the "Other" now and only served to bring people together in solidarity in support to repudiate his hateful bigotry.

This is an historic decision for the NZ court to sentence him to life without parole. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving criminal, jmo.

 

[JerseyGirl]

New Zealand mosque shooter considers appealing life sentence

 

[CoverMeCagney]

New Zealand mosque shooter considers appealing life sentence

Well he should’ve thought about that before he killed 51 innocent people. No way will NZ be soft on him.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Christchurch attacker appealing convictions and sentence

The Australian man convicted of killing 51 people when he opened fire on two Christchurch mosques in 2019 files an appeal against both his convictions and his sentence.

www.abc.net.au