The mother of Ata Elayyan, who was slain in the shootings, told the hearing that losing her son was like feeling the pain of labour all over again. Gamal Fouda, imam of Al Noor mosque, told Tarrant that he was “misguided and misled”. He also expressed regret for not taking more lives and revealed that he intended to burn the mosques down after the shootings, Hawes said. He said he would not sentence Tarrant before Thursday so that survivors and family members of victims had an opportunity to address the court. The judge can impose a life term without parole, a sentence that has never been used in New Zealand.

Source: Standard Digital August 24, 2020 03:45 UTC