CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Australian man accused of killing 51 people and wounding dozens more as they worshiped at two mosques in New Zealand in March pleaded not guilty to scores of counts — including murder and a terrorism charge — in a brief court hearing on Friday. It will also force New Zealand’s court system to consider how to prevent Mr. Tarrant from using the trial as a platform for his self-proclaimed white supremacist views. If found guilty at trial, Mr. Tarrant, 28, faces the prospect of life in prison without parole, a sentence that has never been handed down in New Zealand but which can be awarded at a judge’s discretion. The longest previous murder sentence in the country was 30 years without parole for a man who killed three people. Another man died of his injuries weeks later in a hospital.

Source: New York Times June 13, 2019 22:26 UTC