Christchurch terrorist with permission to watch Home and Garden channel for two hours a day

The person responsible for the terrorist attacks in Christchurch will have access to two hours of television a day.

Brenton Tarrant, who last year killed 51 people and wounded 40 when he stormed two Christchurch mosques during Friday prayers, can watch the Home and Garden (HGTV) channel in his prison cell.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections confirmed that HGTV was the only channel Tarrant could watch and said the department was committed to ensuring that the prisoner “does not have the opportunity to cause harm or distress, either directly or indirectly, to anyone.”

“Our role is to uphold the court’s directive and administer the sentence of this prisoner in accordance with the provisions set forth in the 2004 Corrections Act and our international obligations for the treatment of prisoners,” the statement read.

“Failure to do so may result in legal proceedings against the department, which could require the payment of compensation to an inmate.”

Tarrant will be safely managed by highly professional staff while in custody, “taking full account of the need to abide by the law and manage the unprecedented risk it represents.”

“It will continue to be managed under the strictest custody regime that we have ever developed,” the statement read.

The terrorist was sentenced last week to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the first time in New Zealand history that this sentence has been imposed.

The corrections had to balance “respecting the law” while the terrorist spends the rest of his natural life in prison, with the “unprecedented risk” he presents, he said in a statement.

The terrorist initially pleaded not guilty to his crime, but later changed his mind and admitted 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one of participation in a terrorist act, established in the Repression of Terrorism Act of 2002.

The mass murderer’s sentencing began last Monday in Christchurch Superior Court before Judge Cameron Mander.

After the sentence was passed shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday, the mass murderer left the courtroom. The public gallery was silent.

That night he was taken in a RNZAF Hercules from Christchurch Airport to Auckland Prison at Paremoremo, where he is expected to spend the rest of his life.

Court documents released to the Herald showed that the 29-year-old Australian mass murderer applied for permission to appear at his sentencing via an audiovisual link (AVL) only.

The measure, filed in May after his staggering guilty plea and opposed by Crown attorneys, was rejected by Judge Mander.

Victims of the March 15 attack have the right to receive information on how the murderer is being handled in prison if they so wish, Corrections said.

“Your well-being is very important to us and we intend to be understanding of your needs and wishes.”