New Zealand mosque shooter sentenced to life imprisonment

The white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the first time the maximum available sentence has been imposed.

READ MORE

Grieving families reject NZ mosque shooter's white supremacist world view

One dead two injured in US protest shootings

Judge Cameron Mander said the crimes committed by 29-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant 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 3-year-old infant by shooting him in the head as he clung to the leg of his father.”

Justice Cameron Mander addresses the court during the sentencing hearing of Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant at the Christchurch High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Thursday. AP

The March 2019 attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook.

During the four-day sentencing hearing, 90 survivors and family members recounted the horror of that day and the trauma they continue to feel. One of those who spoke was Temel Atacocugu, who survived being shot nine times during the attack at the Al Noor mosque.

Atacocugu said he felt relieved at the sentence.

"Finally we can breathe freely, and we feel secure, and my kids feel secure," Atacocugu said. "The justice system has locked up this ideology forever.”

Tarrant in March pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism, reversing his earlier not guilty pleas.

Mosque shooting survivors celebrate with supporters following the sentencing of gunman Brenton Tarrant at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Thursday. Reuters

He fired his lawyers and told the judge he didn’t wish to speak at his sentencing. A standby lawyer appointed by the court told the judge that Tarrant did not oppose the maximum sentence.

The judge said that Tarrant recently told a psychiatrist that he now rejects his extremist views and considers his attacks "abhorrent and irrational.”

But Mander said he was skeptical Tarrant had abandoned his ideology, especially considering the gunman told police after the attacks he wished he'd killed more people. Mander said Tarrant had shown no empathy toward his victims and remained detached and self-centered.

Tarrant arrived in New Zealand in 2017, never sought work, and began planning for his attack by stockpiling high-powered weapons and joining shooting clubs, the judge said.

Associated Press