New Zealand mosque killer loses bid to overturn convictions

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Wellington: The New Zealand Court of Appeal has officially rejected a bid by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant to overturn his convictions and life sentence for the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.

Tarrant, who killed 51 people at two mosques, had claimed that ‘torturous’ prison conditions during his trial rendered him incapable of making a rational decision when he pleaded guilty.

However, the three-judge panel dismissed these claims, stating his appeal was ‘utterly devoid of merit’.

The court found that Tarrant’s guilty pleas were entirely voluntary and not the result of coercion or poor mental health. Judges noted that his testimony was inconsistent and directly contradicted by prison authorities and mental health professionals who assessed him at the time.

For the survivors and families of the victims, the ruling brings ‘huge relief,’ as it spares them the unimaginable trauma of a potential new trial.