Source: Radio New Zealand
Al Noor Mosque where 51 people were killed in a terrorist attack in 2019. RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The white supremacist who massacred 51 people in the Christchurch terror attack attempted to engage a leading human rights lawyer to act as his “mouthpiece”.
Australian Brenton Tarrant wants the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence for the March 2019 shootings at Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre.
The 35-year-old now claims he pleaded guilty only because he was irrational due to the solitary nature of his prison conditions.
On Wednesday afternoon, the court heard from Dr Tony Ellis, who represented the terrorist for about six months in 2021, and Ron Mansfield KC, who represented him for just over a year from late 2021.
Ellis told the court he was primarily engaged by Tarrant to obtain a copy of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s report into the terror attack.
He obtained a copy of the report and sent it to the prison, however, it did not reach the terrorist.
Ellis said the terrorist had also raised the possibility of launching an appeal. But the lawyer was not willing to act for him.
“If I was going to act for him on appeal he wanted me to do precisely as ordered and basically act as his mouthpiece,” he said.
“I told him I wasn’t prepared to act in those circumstances.”
Ellis had spoken to the terrorist a dozen times on the phone and the conversations were often lengthy.
“Many clients who have been detained in solitary confinement, they want to have a chat with somebody because its psychologically harmful to be left in solitary confinement and you need human interaction,” he told the court.
Mansfield had primarily been engaged to assist the terrorist in preparing for the coronial inquiry into the deaths of the 51 people murdered on 15 March 2019.
He then assisted the terrorist with taking steps towards seeking judicial review of his prison conditions.
Mansfield found the terrorist’s prison conditions to be unsatisfactory.
The terrorist had also raised the possibility of appealing his convictions and sentence, Mansfield said.
However, the terrorist had discussed the possibility of representing himself.
The terrorist dispensed with Mansfield’s services in April 2023 after becoming frustrated at the time it took for his legal matters to progress.
The Court of Appeal will hear legal arguments on Thursday and Friday.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
