The man accused of carrying out the Christchurch mosque shootings has not personally appeared in court for another pre-trial hearing today.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant’s case is proceeding to a trial scheduled to begin in Christchurch on June 2 next year.
Today, at the High Court in Christchurch a further pre-trial hearing began at 10am.
The content of today’s hearing and the issues it is dealing with is not able to be reported. It’s expected to take around two hours.
The 28-year-old alleged shooter did not appear in court after his Auckland-based lawyers Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson asked Justice Cameron Mander that his attendance be excused. The judge granted the move.
Around 30 survivors and victims of the March 15 shootings, along with family members, are in attendance, along with seven translators.
The accused has pleaded not guilty to murdering 51 people during the attacks at two city mosques on March 15.
He has also denied 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
Alleged Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant excused from court today
The charade continues…
Stand by for a festival of perjury.
Let’s take the case of “survivor” Adeeb Sami – he who can’t even lie consistently. Which story will he tell – the first one (from March 17) about shielding two sons, or the second one (from June 10) about shielding only one son – in an action that was, he says, like an episode in “a movie”?
Or let’s consider the case of “survivor” Mohamed Jama – he who claims he accosted the gunman, when the so-called live stream shows that he stood by the gate and said absolutely nothing.
And let’s not forget another “star” of the show – imam Gamal Fouda. Remember him? He’s the one who claims he crouched in the minbar (pulpit) of Al Noor and watched everything that happened through a non-existent peephole.
I could go on, but I think I’ve said enough about the performance of these incompetent crisis actors.
If the truth about March 15 ever emerges, Islam in New Zealand will be dealt of blow from which it will never recover.