BEAST CAGED
‘Inhuman’ New Zealand Mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant jailed for life for killing 51 as victims cheer outside court
THE white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques has been jailed for life without parole.
The 91 victims of Australian gunman Brenton Harrison Tarrant sobbed in court as he was handed the sentence.
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Today, Judge Cameron Mander slapped Tarrant with the life sentence - making history in New Zealand as this is the first time a full-life term has been imposed in the country.
"It is difficult to look past the wickedness of each murder ... however you are not only a murderer but a terrorist," Judge Mander said.
The judge told Tarrant his crimes were so wicked that a life time in jail could not begin to atone for them.
He said they had caused enormous loss and hurt and stemmed from a warped and malignant ideology.
INHUMAN
Mander said of the March 2019 attacks: "Your actions were inhuman. You deliberately killed a 3-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father."
After the sentence was announced, survivors of the shootings raised hands and fists in celebration and greeted supporters waving signs with painted hearts and carrying roses outside the court building.
Defiant worshippers were seen praying at the Al Noor mosque as evil Tarrant was sententenced.
The attacks at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques prompted new laws to ban the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons.
Social media protocols also changed, after Tarrant livestreamed the attack on Facebook.
The 90 survivors and family members recounted attacks and the trauma they still feel as part of the four-day hearing.
One man, Atacocugu said he felt relieved at the sentence: "Finally we can breathe freely, and we feel secure, and my kids feel secure."
He added: "The justice system has locked up this ideology forever."
Tarrant in March pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism, reversing his earlier not guilty pleas.
He fired his lawyers and told the judge he didn't wish to speak at his sentencing.
MOSQUE ATTACKS
A standby lawyer appointed by the court told the judge that Tarrant did not oppose the maximum sentence.
The court was told Tarrant recently told a psychiatrist that he now rejects his extremist views and considers his attacks abhorrent and irrational.
But Judge Mander said he was skeptical Tarrant had abandoned his ideology, especially considering the gunman told police after the attacks he wished he'd "killed more people".
Judge Mander said Tarrant had shown no empathy toward his victims and remained detached and self-centered.
Tarrant arrived in New Zealand in 2017, never sought work, and began planning for his attack by stockpiling high-powered weapons and joining shooting clubs, the judge said.
He told how Tarrant adopted "deep-seated" radical views on migrants in Western countries.
Tarrant flew a drone over the Al Noor mosque and researched the layout of the mosque, according to prosecutors.
He meticulously planned the attack to cause maximum carnage, the court was told.
On the day of the attacks, he drove to the mosques with six guns, including two AR-15s, slaughtering 51 people - including a toddler, clinging to his dad's leg in fear.
The sentencing hearing gave survivors and family members a chance to confront the gunman. As the hearing went on, the speakers became more emboldened and the numbers who signed up to speak swelled.
Some chose to yell at the gunman and give him the finger.
MONSTER
Others called him a monster, a coward, a rat. Some sung verses from the Quran or addressed him in Arabic. A few spoke softly to Tarrant, saying they forgave him.
Ahad Nabi, whose 76-year-old father Haji Daoud Nabi was gunned down gave a powerful testimony at the High Court.
Clad in a New Zealand Warriors rugby league jersey, Mr Ahad raised both his middle fingers at Tarrant and flexed his muscles, while branding the killer "weak".
He added: "Your father was a garbage man and you became trash of society.
"He is ashamed of your identity.
"You deserve to be buried in a landfill. This world was created with colour, a peasant like you will never change the human race.
"You hurt my father but you never took him away from me.
"What I mean by this is that you physically hurt him but you gifted my father with becoming a martyr and he's returned to Allah."
"It was very empowering," said Aya Al-Umari, who spoke about the death of her brother, Hussein.
"Every one of us was so powerful in delivering our statements," she added.
'IT WAS EMPOWERING'
Al-Umari said the hearing had shown how resilient the Muslim community in Christchurch had been in recovering from the trauma of the attacks.
“No sentence will bring our loved ones back,” she said.
“But at least we can close this chapter and move on.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was praised globally for her empathy and leadership after the attacks, said the crime was still raw for many.
“Nothing will take the pain away but I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you through this whole process, and I hope you continue to feel that through all the days that follow," Ardern said.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was sending his love across to New Zealand. He said the world must never see or hear from the gunman ever again.
New Zealand abolished the death penalty for murder in 1961. Since then, the maximum non-parole sentence had been 30 years for a triple murder.
The gunman, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit, showed little emotion during his sentencing.
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