A white supremacist who murdered 51 worshippers in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks has failed in his attempt to overturn his convictions and life sentence. New Zealand's Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the appeal on Thursday, calling his arguments "utterly devoid of merit."
Brenton Tarrant, now 35, argued during a week-long hearing in February that he had been incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty due to "torturous and inhumane" prison conditions. He also challenged his sentence. However, a panel of three judges ruled that his claims were inconsistent and unsupported by witnesses, concluding he was not coerced or pressured into pleading guilty.
"He has not identified any arguable defence, or indeed any defence known to the law," the judges stated. The facts of his crimes, they added, are "beyond dispute."
The massacre at Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, parts of which he live-streamed, prompted New Zealand to tighten gun laws within a month. The government banned military-style semi-automatic weapons and launched a buy-back scheme for newly prohibited firearms.
Aya al-Umari, whose brother Hussein died in the attack, expressed relief at the decision. "I was confident that there were no solid grounds for the appeal," she told the BBC. "Hearing the outcome today really gives that reassurance and comfort around the right processes being followed."