Alleged #Christchurch gunman pleads not guilty to all charges

Published Jun 15, 2019

Share

Christchurch, New Zealand - An Australian

man pleaded not guilty on Friday to 92 charges stemming from a

massacre in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch

three months ago and will stand trial in May next year.

A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons attacked

Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on New

Zealand's South Island on March 15, killing 51 people in the

country's worst peace-time mass shooting. The attacker broadcast

the shooting live on Facebook.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced tough new firearm

laws banning semi-automatic weapons after the attack, which also

wounded dozens more people.

Brenton Tarrant, 29, a suspected white supremacist, appeared

by video link from a maximum security facility in Auckland while

his lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. The

accusations against him include one terrorism charge.

About 80 members of Christchurch's Muslim community and

dozens of media representatives attended the hearing in a packed

court room, with many seated in another room watching by video.

High Court Justice Cameron Mander said the trial would begin

on May 4. The prosecution expected the trial would take around

six weeks, although Mander said defence lawyers believed it

could take considerably longer.

Courts normally try to bring cases to trial within a year

but Mander said "the scale and complexity of this case makes

this challenging".

Tarrant has been remanded in custody until Aug. 15, when the

next case review hearing is scheduled.

Mander said Tarrant was fit to stand trial after the court

ordered him to undergo a mental health assessment at a previous

hearing on April 5.

"No issue arises regarding the defendant’s fitness to plead,

to instruct counsel, and to stand his trial. A fitness hearing

is not required," Mander said in a minute released to the media

after Friday's hearing.

The court lifted an order last week suppressing the

publication of pictures of Tarrant. An interim suppression order

barring the publication of the identity of survivors also lapsed

and will not be reinstated. 

Reuters

Related Topics: