Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant allowed to watch two hours of TV a day
Brenton Tarrant, who was jailed for life over the NZ mosque massacres, has been given a strange privilege in prison amid signs that authorities fear he could sue them for damages.
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Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant will be allowed to watch two hours of television a day, but will have his viewing restricted to just one channel.
Tarrant, who was last week sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for killing 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand, is allowed to watch the Home and Garden Channel in his cell at Auckland Prison.
The lifestyle channel features shows such as Instant Dream House, Beachfront Bargain Hunt, and Log Cabin Living.
A spokeswoman from the New Zealand Department of Corrections confirmed to the NZ Heraldthat it was the only channel the 29-year-old was allowed to watch.
The spokeswoman told the publication the Department was committed to ensuring Tarrant has “no opportunity to cause harm or distress, either directly or indirectly, to anyone”.
“Our role is to uphold the directive of the court and manage this prisoner’s sentence in accordance with the provisions set out in the Corrections Act 2004 and our international obligations for the treatment of prisoners,” a statement from the Department read, according to the NZ Herald.
“Failure to do so may result in legal proceedings against the department, which could potentially require compensation to be paid to a prisoner.”
The spokeswoman said Tarrant “will continue to be managed under the most stringent custodial regime we have ever developed”.
PM LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR TARRANT’S RETURN
Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “open to discussions” on whether Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant should serve out his lifelong jail sentence in Australia
Tarrant, who live-streamed the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand last year, was on Thursday sentenced to life behind bars with no chance of parole.
“Whether he is held in Australia or New Zealand, we are open to that discussion,’’ the Prime Minister revealed on Sunrise.
“It has a lot of implications, these sorts of decisions. The Prime Minister of New Zealand and I will talk about those issues.
“Most of all we are concerned about what the views of the families would be for those affected and we want to do the right thing by them. There is been no request made for that I should stress.”
Mr Morrison earlier told 2GB radio he had spoken to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and said that no formal request had been made to transfer Tarrant to Australia.
He said a prisoner swap arrangement would have implications.
“We have many New Zealanders in prisoners here,’’ he said. “As you know we send them back when they have served out their sentence.
“This is a very rare case. The Prime Minister and I are open to having discussions about this. But there’s been no request made.
“But we would both want to know particularly what the families thought of this.”
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On Thursday, New Zealand’s deputy leader said Tarrant should serve his life sentence in Australia so his victims’ families are not forced to pay the “astronomical” cost of his time behind bars.
“Now is the time for Australia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, to receive and carry out the terrorist’s sentence in Australia,” Winston Peters said.
“The Islamic community and all of New Zealand has already suffered enough without having to pay astronomical prison costs to keep him safe in our prison system.”
It’s understood Tarrant’s incarceration is presently costing more than $NZ4930 a day ($A4511).
Mr Morrison yesterday said it was “normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences serve their sentences in that jurisdiction”.
Earlier, Mr Morrison said it is “right” the world will never see or hear from Christchurch mosque shooting gunman Brenton Tarrant “ever again”.
He released a statement following the sentencing of Tarrant saying all Australians were “horrified and devastated by his despicable act”.
“Justice today was delivered to the terrorist and murderer for his cowardly and horrific crimes in Christchurch,” he said.
“New Zealand is family to us. Today, we send our love across ‘the ditch’ and I had the opportunity to pass on those wishes earlier today to New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.”
Mr Morrison said he paid tribute to the Muslim community of New Zealand and Australia who have supported each other and “reflected the goodness of faith”.
“Out of the horror of this event there also emerged the incredible grace and beauty of Farid Ahmed, who I met with Jenny at the memorial service in Christchurch and again in Sydney when he came to visit me in March this year,” he said.
“Farid lost his wife that day and his message is one of hope and love. Inspirational.”
Mr Morrison said the Muslim community had been a “light answering the darkness”.
“God Bless our New Zealand whanau this day – and may it be another day of healing for everyone affected by this terrible atrocity,” he said.
‘WICKED, INHUMAN’: TARRANT JAILED FOR LIFE OVER MOSQUE MASSACRE
Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Thursday for the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers, with a judge calling him “wicked” and “inhuman”.
Judge Cameron Mander said that behind Tarrant’s “warped” ideology was a “base hatred” that led him to attack defenceless men, women and children last year in New Zealand’s worst terror attack.
“It is incumbent on the court to respond in a way that decisively rejects such vicious malevolence,” Mander said as he announced a sentence unprecedented in New Zealand legal history.
The judge said Tarrant had failed in his aim of promoting right-wing extremism as he gunned down victims in cold blood but the New Zealand Muslim community had still paid a terrible price.
“It was brutal and beyond callous. Your actions were inhuman,” the judge said.
Tarrant – a 29-year-old Australian white supremacist – sparked global revulsion on March 15, 2019 when he rampaged through two Christchurch mosques for 20 minutes during Friday prayers.
He had admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism over the attacks, after reversing an initial not guilty plea.
‘RACIST AND XENOPHOBIC’
Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said the atrocity was “without comparison in New Zealand’s criminal history”.
“The offending was motivated by an entrenched racist and xenophobic ideology … in my submission, the offender is clearly New Zealand’s worst murderer,” he said.
Zarifeh said life behind bars was “the only proper sentencing option” for Tarrant.
“No minimum period is sufficiently long to satisfy sentencing objectives given the gravity of the offending and the devastating loss of life and injury,” he said.
Throughout the sentencing, Tarrant remained impassive as the court heard harrowing testimony from dozens of his victims and their families.
“Since my husband and son passed away, I’ve never had a proper, normal sleep. I don’t think I ever will,” widow Ambreen Naeem told the court.
“His punishment should continue forever,” she said.
Tarrant accepted the sentence and waived his right to speak at the sentencing. Fearing Tarrant may use the platform to spout extremist ideology, the court had imposed tight restrictions on reporting of proceedings.
Before sentencing, Tarrant, a former gym instructor, had sacked his legal team and declared he would represent himself.
Instead, court appointed lawyer Pip Hall made a brief one-line statement on his behalf before the judge delivered his sentence.
“Mr Tarrant does not oppose the application that he should be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole,” Hall said.
Arguing against life behind bars, counsel assisting the court Kerry Cook said Tarrant’s views had changed while he had been jailed and he had offered to meet the families in “restorative justice” session.
“Given his age, lack of previous record and guilty pleas, there is a prospect of rehabilitation,” he told the court, saying a whole-life sentence breached fundamental human rights.
Zarifeh said Tarrant’s belated description of his actions as “unnecessary, abhorrent and irrational” were questionable.
“(Tarrant) said he had a poisoned emotional state and was terribly unhappy,” Zarifeh said.
“He felt ostracised by society and wanted to damage society as an act of revenge.
“Yet at the same time, the offender described the offending as definitely an act of terrorism.” The atrocity shocked New Zealand and prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to immediately tighten gun laws and pressure social media giants to curb online extremism.
Originally published as Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant allowed to watch two hours of TV a day