Christchurch mosque gunman gets New Zealand's 1st life without parole sentence
27 August, 2020
New Zealand mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant was sentenced alive in prison without parole Thursday for the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers, with a judge calling him "wicked" and "inhuman".
Judge Cameron Mander said that behind Tarrant's "warped" ideology was a "base hatred" that led him to attack defenseless men, women and children last year in New Zealand's worst terror attack.
"It really is incumbent on the court to respond in a way that decisively rejects such vicious malevolence," Mander said as he announced a sentence unprecedented in New Zealand legal history.
The judge said Tarrant had failed in his aim of promoting right-wing extremism as he gunned down victims in cold blood but the New Zealand Muslim community had still paid a terrible price.
"It was brutal and beyond callous. Your actions were inhuman," the judge said.
Tarrant -- a 29-year-old Australian white supremacist -- sparked global revulsion on March 15, 2019 when he rampaged through two Christchurch mosques for 20 minutes during Friday prayers.
He previously admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and among terrorism over the attacks, after reversing a short not-guilty plea.
Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said the atrocity was "without comparison in New Zealand's criminal history".
"The offending was motivated by an entrenched racist and xenophobic ideology... in my own submission, the offender is obviously New Zealand's worst murderer," he said.
Zarifeh said life behind bars was "the only proper sentencing option" for Tarrant.
"No minimum period is sufficiently long to fulfill sentencing objectives given the gravity of the offending and the devastating loss of life and injury," he said.
Through the entire sentencing, Tarrant remained impassive as the court heard harrowing testimony from a large number of his victims and their families.
"Since my hubby and son passed on, I've never had an effective, normal sleep. I don't believe I ever will," widow Ambreen Naeem told the court.
"His punishment should continue forever," she said.
Tarrant accepted the sentence and waived his right to speak at the sentencing.
Fearing Tarrant might use the platform to spout extremist ideology, the court had imposed tight restrictions on reporting of proceedings.
Before sentencing, Tarrant, a former gym instructor, had sacked his legal team and declared he'd represent himself.
Instead, court-appointed attorney Pip Hall made a short one-line statement on his behalf prior to the judge delivered his sentence.
"Mr Tarrant does not oppose the application form that he ought to be sentenced alive imprisonment without parole," Hall said.
Arguing against life behind bars, counsel assisting the court Kerry Cook said Tarrant's views had changed while he had been jailed and he previously offered to meet up with the families in "restorative justice" session.
"Given his age, insufficient previous record and guilty pleas, you will find a prospect of rehabilitation," he told the court, saying a whole-life sentence breached fundamental human rights.
Zarifeh said Tarrant's belated description of his actions as "unnecessary, abhorrent and irrational" were questionable.
"Tarrant said he had a poisoned emotional state and was terribly unhappy," Zarifeh said. "He felt ostracised by society and wished to damage society as an act of revenge.
"Yet simultaneously, the offender described the offending as definitely an act of terrorism."
The atrocity shocked New Zealand and prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to immediately tighten gun laws and pressure social media giants to curb online extremism.
Source: japantoday.com
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