Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch mosques in 2019, told a New Zealand court that he was not mentally fit when he pleaded guilty.

He is now seeking to overturn his convictions, citing deteriorating mental health during pretrial detention.

Tarrant, an Australian national, carried out the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history on March 15, 2019. Using semi-automatic weapons, he attacked two mosques during Friday prayers, livestreaming part of the assault on Facebook and releasing a racist manifesto prior to the attacks.

Initially, Tarrant denied all charges and prepared for trial. In 2020, he entered guilty pleas for 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of committing a terrorist act. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole — the first such sentence in New Zealand.

Mental health concerns and appeal

Speaking via video link from prison, Tarrant claimed that his mental health had deteriorated due to harsh detention conditions, leaving him incapable of making rational decisions when entering his guilty pleas.

“I did not have the mind frame or mental health required to be making informed decisions at that time,” he told the court. “I was making choices, but they were not choices made voluntarily and they were not choices made rationally due to the conditions.”

The Court of Appeal will examine whether Tarrant’s imprisonment conditions were “torturous and inhumane,” potentially rendering him incapable of rational decision-making at the time of his guilty plea.