The gunman whose attack on two mosques in New Zealand last year led to the deaths of 51 worshippers has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
It is the first time such a sentence has been handed down in the country’s history and means Brenton Harrison Tarrant will stay in prison until he dies.
The 29-year-old Australian earlier pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism following the attacks at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in the city of Christchurch. They took place during Friday prayers on 15 March 2019 and were livestreamed on Facebook.
Forty-four people were killed at the Al Noor mosque and seven at the Linwood mosque after Tarrant fired indiscriminately using semi-automatics.
Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, said: “The trauma of 15 March is not easily healed but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence.”
‘Inhuman’
Imposing the sentence at the Christchurch High Court, Judge Cameron Mander told Tarrant: “Your actions were inhuman. You deliberately killed a three-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father.”
The judge said Tarrant told a psychiatrist that he now rejected his extremist views and considered his attacks “abhorrent and irrational”.
But Mr Mander said Tarrant lacked empathy.
“Your crimes… are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation.
“As far as I am able to gauge, you are empty of any empathy for your victims,” he said.
Mr Mander also said: “You committed mass murder. You slaughtered unarmed and defenseless people. You maimed, wounded and crippled many others. Your victims include the young and the old, men, women and children.”
‘Punishment will not bring back loved ones’
Gamal Fouda, the imam of Al Noor mosque, said of the sentencing: “Today the legal procedures for this heinous crime have been done. No punishment will bring our loved ones back.
“Extremists are all the same. Whether they use religion, nationalism or any other ideology. All extremists, they represent hate. But we are here today. We respect love, compassion, Muslim and non-Muslim people of faith and of no faith.”
The four-day sentencing hearing heard from 90 survivors of the attack and family members.
“All a daughter ever wants is her dad. I want to go on more road trips with him. I want to smell his garden-sourced cooking. His cologne,” said Sara Qasem, who lost her father Abdelfattah.
“I want to hear him tell me more about the olive trees in Palestine. I want to hear his voice. My dad’s voice. My baba’s voice.”
‘Close this chapter’
Aya Al-Umari, whose brother Hussein died, said the city’s Muslim community had demonstrated its resilience in recovering from the attacks.
“No sentence will bring our loved ones back,” she said. “But at least we can close this chapter and move on.”
The attacks led to new laws in the country banning military style semi-automatics.
The maximum sentence without parole in New Zealand is 30 years for a triple murder.
Additional reporting by agencies
