Trial to be held in May 2020 for Australian man who faces 51 murder charges, 40 of attempted murder and one terrorism charge

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Australian Brenton Tarrant has pleaded not guilty to all charges in relation to the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.

Tarrant, 28, is facing 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of engaging in a terrorist act. The trial, estimated to take six weeks, will go ahead on 4 May, 2020.

Wearing a grey sweatshirt and flanked by three prison officers, Tarrant appeared via video link on a large screen at the high court in Christchurch on Friday morning, from a high security prison in Auckland where he is being held.

Tarrant’s lawyer, Shane Tait, entered the pleas on Tarrant’s behalf. Tarrant smirked as Tait informed the court that he would plead not guilty to all charges but otherwise showed little emotion. His audio link had been muted, and he didn’t attempt to speak.



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About 140 members of the public attended the hearing. There were some quiet gasps when the not guilty plea was entered by the Tarrant’s lawyer.

The decision sparked anger among relatives of the victims. Speaking outside the court after the hearing Yama Nabi, whose father was killed in the mosque shootings, said the prospect of a trial was “hurtful for the families”.

“They don’t need any more. They got their hearts broken.”

Janna Ezat, whose son was killed at the Al Noor mosque, cried after learning the trial would go ahead, saying “I’m so frustrated”.

Abdul Aziz, who confronted the gunman during the Linwood shooting, said the hearing “wasn’t a good, pleasant thing to see.”

The judge, Justice Cameron Mander, said the accused had been assessed and declared mentally fit to stand trial. He lifted suppression on the identities of the complainants, which means all alleged victims, apart from the three aged under 18, can now be named.

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Mander has also allowed the use of Tarrant’s image in the media, lifting an order from 16 March that his face must be pixellated.

This was Tarrant’s third formal court appearance since the attacks at the attacks on Al Noor and Linwood mosques on 15 March. At his last appearance on 4 April, Tarrant was charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 for attempted murder. One of the attempted murder charges has been upgraded to a murder charge after one man died from wounds sustained in the mosque attacks.

Two additional charges of attempted murder and the terrorism charge were filed on Friday. It is the first time someone in New Zealand has been charged under the country’s terrorism suppression act, which was introduced after the 9/11 attacks.

After initially indicating he would represent himself in court, Tarrant retained Jonathan Hudson and Shane Tait, both Auckland-based lawyers.

One man was arrested outside the court on Friday after he was accused of making racist remarks.

The massacre on 15 March was New Zealand’s worst peacetime mass shooting, prompting the Labour-led coalition government to make swift and comprehensive gun reforms, banning military-style semi-automatics and assault rifles, including related components.



