Brenton Tarrant to represent himself in Christchurch court after dismissing lawyer
Accused Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant will represent himself in court after reportedly telling his assigned lawyer he is no longer needed
Tarrant’s duty lawyer Richard Peters confirmed to the New Zealand Herald on Monday he was no longer representing him.
“What did seem apparent to me is he seemed quite clear and lucid, whereas this may seem like very irrational behavior,” Mr Peters told the publication.
“He didn’t appear to me to be facing any challenges or mental impairment, other than holding fairly extreme views.”
Mr Peters said Tarrant may use the trial to speak out about his own extremist beliefs.
“I suspect that he won’t shy away from publicity, and that will probably be the way he runs the trial. The job of the trial judge will be to deal with that.
“But it’s not a place for any views to be put forward. It’s simply there to determine innocence or guilt. The court is not going to be very sympathetic to him if he wants to use the trial to express his own views.”
Tarrant did not explain why he no longer required Mr Peters’ assistance.
Tarrant appeared in court on Saturday morning charged with one count of murder. Further charges are likely to be laid before he appears again on April 5.
Counter-terrorism police raided two homes on the NSW mid-north coast on Monday morning, including one that’s believed to belong to Tarrant’s sister.
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