Christchurch mosque attacks: ‘unlikely’ killer Brenton Tarrant to be sent back to Australia, says PM

The Christchurch mosque killer is unlikely to be returned to Australia, his homeland, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

She told Sky News today that while the talks are not over yet, “the first suggestions are that [victims’] the families want that sentence to be served here. “

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 29-year-old Australian mass murderer, was sentenced to life in prison without parole, the first time in New Zealand history that the sentence was imposed, in August.

Since his sentencing, it has been hotly debated whether Tarrant could be deported back to his native Australia.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has called for the “depraved” mosque gunman of March 15, 2019, who killed 51 people, to be extradited to prevent New Zealand from paying to keep him locked up for life.

Peters said it was time “for Australian Home Secretary Peter Dutton to receive and carry out the terrorist’s sentence in Australia.”

But Justice Minister Andrew Little previously said a new law would have to be passed to deport Tarrant.

“It is automatic if you are a non-citizen or non-resident. Any other way would have to be by treaty agreement with the country of origin, and we don’t have that with Australia,” Little said just after the gunman sentenced.

“Our prison system is now obligated to detain him for life.”

National leader Judith Collins was wary of deporting Tarrant, in part because Australians seemed eager to deport Kiwis who were in the middle of their sentence.

“That would mean that New Zealand would have a lot of criminals who have not served their sentences roaming the communities, or else we would have to find a space for them in jail,” Collins previously said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left the door open to work with New Zealand on the issue.

If Tarrant were sent back to Australia, the most likely prison to take him would be Goulburn Supermax in the regional region of New South Wales.

Tarrant sat quietly during the four days of sentencing this week, the victims and their families of his attack stood their ground and unleashed their feelings for him

Judge Cameron Mander concluded that Tarrant was “devoid of all empathy” for his victims, “distant” and completely self-centered.

He said Tarrant “had no apparent mental orders or psychiatric conditions” nor did he have any cognitive impairment.

There was no evidence of a personality disorder, but his racist beliefs “developed and intensified” as he got older.

One psychologist said that Tarrant “proudly” viewed himself as a white European with an air of superiority and grandeur, which may reflect narcissistic traits.

He also told the psychologist that he no longer has the beliefs, that they “were not real” and that at the time of the attack he was in a “poisoned state of mind” and was “terribly unhappy”.

He was “ostracized” by society and “wanted to harm society as an act of revenge.”

Tarrant told the psychologist that he was “not thinking straight at the time” and was “acting on delusional beliefs.”

However, Judge Mander said he just didn’t wash up with him.

“Your recent self-generated denunciation of your extreme ideology requires circumspection,” he said.

“It is not corroborated, it is selfish and it is a relatively recent phenomenon.”