The Australian man convicted of killing 51 people when he opened fire on two Christchurch mosques in 2019 has filed an appeal against both his convictions and his sentence.
Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty in 2020, but last year signalled via a lawyer that he believed he had received "inhumane and degrading" treatment while in custody and was considering an appeal.
Today, New Zealand's Court of Appeal confirmed an appeal against the convictions and sentence had been filed.
Members of Christchurch's Muslim community have previously raised concerns, saying any appeal would cause further harm to families still grieving the loved ones killed in the attack.
On March 15, 2019, the gunman attacked Friday worshippers at Christchurch's Al Noor mosque, before moving on to the Linwood prayer centre.
His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly.
The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand's history.
Originally, the shooter pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in a 2020 hearing admitted he carried out the shooting and changed his plea to guilty.
As well as the 51 murder charges, he also pleaded guilty to 40 charges of attempted murder, and a terrorism charge.
In sentencing, Judge Cameron Mander said he was imposing the harshest possible term for Tarrant's "inhuman" actions.
"Your crimes are so wicked, that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation," Judge Mander said at the time.
The attacker was sentenced to life without parole.
Ongoing coronial inquiry
A New Zealand coroner is currently conducting an inquiry into the attack — something the families of victims and survivors had been calling for.
The attacker is considered an interested party to the coronial inquiry, and last year his legal team sent a memo to the coroner ahead of a hearing to help determine the inquiry's scope.
Within that correspondence were comments the attacker believed his guilty pleas had been obtained under duress and he had potentially been prevented from receiving a fair trial.
Members of the Christchurch Muslim community told the ABC they believed this was another example of the terrorist wanting to "grandstand" and cause further harm.
Given the time that has lapsed since his conviction, the attacker will need to apply to have his appeal heard — a process legal experts warn could be drawn out.
