New Zealand's Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslims in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, to withdraw his guilty pleas. The panel of three judges dismissed Tarrant's claim that harsh prison conditions had forced him into an involuntary admission of guilt for terrorism, murder, and attempted murder charges.
Background of the Attacks
Tarrant, now 35, killed 51 worshippers and injured dozens more in March 2019. He drove to two Christchurch mosques during Friday prayers and opened fire with semiautomatic weapons. His guilty pleas in March 2020 brought relief to bereaved families and survivors, who feared a lengthy trial would allow him to air his hateful views. The failure of his appeal bid, filed 505 days after the legal deadline, has again averted such a trial.
Appeal Hearing and Mental Health Claims
At a five-day hearing in February, Tarrant argued that his admissions were provoked by mental illness, which he claimed caused him to temporarily abandon his racist views. However, the judges concluded that his claims of mental impairment were inconsistent and unsupported by prison staff, mental health professionals, or his former lawyers. They stated, "He was not suffering from a mental impairment or any other form of mental incapacity which rendered him unable to voluntarily change his pleas to guilty." The judges added that he attempted to mislead them about his state of mind in a weak attempt to advance an appeal when all other evidence showed he made an informed and rational decision to plead guilty.
Tarrant's Attempt to Abandon Appeal
The court's ruling also revealed that Tarrant sought to abandon his appeal shortly after the February hearing, likely realizing it was not proceeding in his favor. The judges rejected that bid, noting that the case was of significant public interest and should be finally determined. Under New Zealand law, judges are not required to allow an appellant to quit an appeal once it is underway.
Life Sentence and Previous Proceedings
Tarrant, who has since dismissed his lawyers, remains in Auckland Prison serving a life sentence without parole, imposed in August 2020. The judges allowed him to abandon his appeal of that sentence, which was scheduled for later in 2026. Tarrant moved to New Zealand in 2017 with a plan to commit a mass shooting, amassing weapons and conducting reconnaissance before the attack. The judges noted that he had accepted the police's summary of facts and that the case against him was "overwhelming", including footage of the attack he filmed and livestreamed, and a racist manifesto published online under his real name.
