Wellington, July 13: The Australian white supremacist who admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has dismissed his lawyers and will represent himself when he is sentenced next month.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant had pleaded guilty in March to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one charge of engaging in a terrorist act for the shootings in Christchurch in 2019. Also Read | Devotees Gather at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on Second Monday of 'Sawan' Month Today: Live News Breaking and Coronavirus Updates on July 13, 2020.

His sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to begin in Christchurch on August 24 and could last more than three days. The date was confirmed at a High Court session in Christchurch on Monday that was attended by some shooting survivors.

Tarrant's defence team, lawyers Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson, applied during Monday's hearing for permission to withdraw as his counsel, a role they have filled since April 2019. They told the court they had been instructed by Tarrant to withdraw as he wishes to exercise his right to represent himself. Also Read | Pune Reports 1,088 New COVID-19 Cases and 39 Deaths In Past 24 Hours: Live News Breaking and Coronavirus Updates on July 12, 2020.

Tarrant participated in Monday's proceedings by video link from his Auckland jail. Justice Cameron Mander approved Tarrant's request to dismiss his lawyers, saying he was satisfied he understood his right to legal representation and wished to waive that right.

A lawyer will still be appointed by the court to provide advice if Tarrant requests it. Mander called for a pre-sentence report and statements from victims for the hearing.

Tarrant faces life imprisonment, with the judge having some discretion in deciding how many years Tarrant must serve before becoming eligible for parole.

The attacks targeting people praying at the mosques shocked New Zealand, where new laws were quickly approved banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. It also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook, where it was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.

The sudden guilty plea in March surprised survivors and relatives and relieved many people who had feared Tarrant would try to use his trial as a platform to promote his views.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)