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Christchurch Mosque Gunman Opens Appeal to Retract Guilty Plea, Citing Harsh Detention

Judges are assessing his claim that pre-trial isolation undermined his capacity to make a rational decision.

Overview

  • A five-day hearing in Wellington began Monday, with a decision expected by Friday.
  • Brenton Tarrant addressed the Court of Appeal by video link from a high-security unit in Auckland.
  • He argues the conditions were agonizing and inhuman and left him unable to enter a valid plea in 2020.
  • If the conviction is upheld, the court plans a separate hearing later this year to consider a sentence appeal.
  • If the plea is withdrawn, the case would be reheard on charges from the 2019 mosque attacks that killed 51 and injured dozens.