New Zealand: Christchurch Mosque Attacker Brenton Tarrant Pleads Not Guilty to 92 Charges
The gunman in an Auckland prison appeared expression-less during the hearing and smiled when his lawyer entered the not guilty pleas.
Christchurch, June 14: The man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 people, on Friday pleaded not guilty to all the 92 charges during his third court appearance following New Zealand's deadliest terrorist attacks on March 15. The suspect, Brenton Tarrant, 28, appeared by video link at the High Court in Christchurch during Friday's hearing, attended by about 80 people, reports Xinhua news agency.
His first court appearance in person was on March 16 and Brenton, who is an Australian, will next appear for a case-review hearing in August before facing trial on May 4, 2020. The gunman in an Auckland prison appeared expression-less during the hearing and smiled when his lawyer entered the not guilty pleas. Turkey's Erdogan Continues to Use Christchurch Attack Video at Poll Rallies to Attack Opposition.
During his first brief court appearance the day after the attacks, he smirked to the media many times. He pled not guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act. According to the court, no mental health issues arose after the relevant assessment was conducted.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2019 12:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).