Alleged New Zealand mosque shooter pleads not guilty

Psychiatric reports ordered during his previous court appearance found that the accused was mentally sound to enter the plea.

The Christchurch shooter would face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, a penalty that has never been given in New Zealand. The longest previous sentence was 30 years without parole, given to a man who killed three people, the New York Times reports.

Additionally, New Zealand will continue to approach the trial in a manner that restricts the defendant from taking advantage of it as a platform.

New Zealand’s news outlets have agreed to avoid spreading any white supremacist views on their platforms throughout the case.

At his court appearance Friday, the defendant appeared via an audiovisual link from the country’s only maximum security prison in Auckland, the country’s largest city.

Members of the gallery reportedly gasped when the announcement was made. Seating was reserved for survivors and their families, to the point where an additional courtroom was used for overflow seating of about 140 people.

“The logistics of this case will be a nightmare” for officials, said Chris Gallavin, a law professor at Massey University in Palmerston North. He also said that heightened security would be required at the court throughout this trial. “All of that is going to be incredibly disruptive for the flow of an already overworked court.”

Between the Facebook Live video during the attack, which appeared to be released by the defendant, and his online manifesto, Gallavin struggles to see what kind of defense will be used in the case.

Trials in New Zealand typically take place a year from the arrest. However, the judge said that because of the case’s complexity, both sides will be given more time to prepare, much to the disappointment of most of the victims.

A procedural hearing in August will be the next step in the case.