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New Zealand mosque shooter always planned to admit his crimes, his former lawyers tell appeals court
- On Feb. 9, 2026, New Zealand's Court of Appeal in Wellington began a five-day hearing on Brenton Tarrant's bid to vacate guilty pleas, with Tarrant appearing by audiovisual link from Auckland Prison.
- Tarrant says solitary confinement and prison conditions compelled his admissions, causing nervous exhaustion that forced his March 2020 pleas, and he filed a late appeal bid in 2022.
- Former lawyers Jonathan Hudson and Shane Tait told the court they believed Tarrant always intended to plead guilty, while a psychologist said solitary confinement likely harmed his mental health.
- If judges discard the pleas, the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal will return the case to trial; if upheld, they will consider the late 2022 sentence-appeal bid.
- Victims and bereaved relatives watched a live feed from Christchurch and voiced anger, while Tarrant's treatment in the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit at Auckland Prison is central to his complaints.
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Christchurch terror appeal: why now, and what is really being decided?
Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesThe New Zealand Court of Appeal is this week hearing a case that is unusual in a number of respects. The person bringing it is Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 35-year-old Australian man convicted and sentenced for the murder of 51 people in Christchurch in March 2019. Tarrant – who earlier pleaded guilty to those murders, along with attempting to murder 40 others and committing the acts as terrorism – is seeking to reopen…
New Zealand’s worst mass murderer ‘pleased with terrorism charge’ over mosque attack
The white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslims in New Zealand’s deadliest mass shooting was pleased to be charged with terrorism, his former lawyer has told a court deciding if the man was in a fit state to admit his crimes.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources40
Leaning Left10Leaning Right4Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Center
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
55% Center
L 32%
C 55%
13%
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