Christchurch Gunman Gets Life In Prison Without Release, Strongest Sentence Ever In NZ
More than a year after the sickening murder of 51 people in 2 Christchurch mosques, the victims will have some form of justice.
Brenton Tarrant, the man behind the massacre, will spend the rest of his life in jail.
He’s been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for his crimes, according to New Zealand media — that means there’s no possibility that he will be released.
That’s the 1st time that this sentence has been meted out in the country, and it’s also the strongest sentence it has.
Killer admitted 92 charges, including terrorism
Tarrant, 29, was sentenced after pleading guilty to a total of 92 charges in all, reported 1 News Australia.
51 of them were for the murder of each victim. For each of the 51 murders, he was sentenced to life without parole.
40 charges were for attempted murder. For each of the 40 attempted murder charges, he was given 12 years’ jail.
1 more was for terrorism. It got him life imprisonment.
Declined to address court
For 3 days, as his 91 victims or their family members gave testimony in court, Tarrant sat dispassionate.
200 victim impact statements were also read out in the hearing, and he seemed unmoved through it all.
When given a final chance to address the court, he said only 3 words: “No thank you.”
Justice Cameron Mander, struck by the sheer number of tributes to the dead and injured, was quoted by 1 News as telling Tarrant,
As far as I am able to tell, you are absent of any empathy for your victims.
He said a psychiatrist had assessed the criminal to be a “white European ethno-nationalist” who had an “air of superiority and narcissism”.
Terrorist opened fire on worshippers
In the incident on 15 Mar 2019, the terrorist brandished high-powered guns and opened fire on worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre.
It resulted in New Zealand’s most deadly peacetime assault since the Boyd massacre of Dec 1809, which claimed 66 victims.
One of the victims killed was Tariq Rashid Omar, 24, who had a Singaporean father and Kiwi mother.
The tragedy moved the nation and the world. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called for 2 minutes of silence to be observed during the nationwide telecast of a Friday call to prayers.
A week after the massacre, the mosque opened its doors for Friday prayers, showing remarkable resilience in getting life back to normal.
Hopefully sentence will bring solace
MS News extends our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families.
Though the murderer’s sentencing won’t bring back those who’ve left us, hopefully it’ll bring them some solace so they can find the strength to pull through.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
