A white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 has filed an appeal against his conviction and life sentence, state media reported on Monday.
Brenton Tarrant, who is serving life imprisonment without parole for the gruesome attack, told the Court of Appeal in Wellington on Monday that he felt forced to plead guilty during his trial because of what he described as "irrationality" caused by the conditions of his detention, Radio New Zealand reported.
Australian-born Tarrant said his mental health had deteriorated due to prolonged solitary confinement and limited access to reading material or contact with other prisoners.
Appearing via audio-visual link with a shaved head, wearing a pressed white shirt and black-framed glasses, the gunman made his first public comments about the shootings.
In March 2020, he pleaded guilty at the High Court to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one charge of terrorism. The 35-year-old is now seeking to withdraw his guilty pleas.
The convicted terrorist is housed in the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit at Auckland Prison and has minimal interaction with others, including fellow inmates.
He claimed that after being provided with a book that improved his mental health, he changed his mind and no longer wished to plead guilty.
Psychological assessments at the time found him fit to stand trial and competent to enter his pleas.
On March 15, 2019, Tarrant killed 51 people and injured 40 more at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in the city of Christchurch.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 2020 without the possibility of parole, the first sentence of its kind handed down in New Zealand.
