Brenton Tarrant has been sentenced to life with any parole possibility for killing 51 people in the Christchurch mosque massacre.
Terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in the Christchurch mosque, has been sentenced to life without any possibility of parole. This is the first time in New Zealand to sentence someone a lifetime.
The massacre occurred last year March when 28-year old Australian Brenton Tarrant entered the mosque and opened fire on the people who were gathered there in the building killing 51 people and dozen of people injured.
During his week’s sentencing, he remained unmoved when the relatives of the victims made emotional and powerful statements, which made the victims in the gallery sobbed. But Tarrant fixed his gaze on Crown solicitors who asked to give him the life sentence without any parole, and Justice Cameron Mander agreed to lock him away and throw the key.
Justice Cameron Mander says, it is so much difficult to look past the wickedness of every murder he has committed, he is not only a murderer but a terrorist.
He added, Tarrant’s actions were inhumane, and he purposely killed a three-year-old child when he was clinging against his father’s leg. Justice Cameron Mander took the time to make a tribute to every person who was killed and wounded by him in the massacre.
On Thursday, Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole for 51 counts of murder and 12 years on each 40 attempted murder counts, and another life sentence for terrorism.
When the sentence handed out, all the survivors were seen outside the court, stood hand in hand smiling. One widow said that she is alive, but she is not living.
The attacks targeting people in mosques shocked the entire nations and induced new laws against the usage of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted changes to social media because the gunman was streaming live on Facebook when he was carrying out his attack on people.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged the strength of the Muslim community and said that you had to relive the horrors of 15th March, hope that you feel the warmth of New Zealand around you. She said that now there is no need to think of Brenton Tarrant from now on because he deserves a lifetime of utter silence.
Many mounting calls have been made to deport the terrorist back to Australia to serve his time. But Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he hasn’t received any request about bringing him back to Australia. He also added it is normal practice that criminals who convict any offensive crime serve sentences in that region.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid his tribute to the survivors of New Zealand shooting, he said, he with his wife Jenny Morrison went and met the victims who showed absolute grace.
During his hearing, Tarrant had the passive presence, and didn’t utter a single word, but said, ‘No thank you” when Justice Mander gave him one last chance to speak and address the courtroom. Tarrant counsel Philip Hall didn’t oppose the life sentence without parole.
For three days in the High Court, victims and survivors were standing a few meters away from the terrorist reliving the horror and crying for their loved ones. They all were carrying white roses in their lapels, pictures of their family members who lost their lives in the attack, and one man was carrying a tiny panda toy.
Tarrant described himself as a far-right fascist, grew up in the northern New South Wales town of Grafton. He moved to New Zealand in 2017