Christchurch mosque attack terrorist seeking judicial review of his prison conditions

Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant has applied to the High Court for a judicial review of his prison conditions.

His application solely relates to aspects of his detention and will have no bearing on his conviction or sentence.

The terrorist is held in the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit, a highly secure facility within Auckland Prison at Paremoremo housing the country’s most dangerous offenders.

It remains unclear at this stage exactly what aspects of his prison conditions he is seeking a judicial review of.

The terrorist participated in a telephone conference on Thursday morning with Justice Geoffrey Venning of the Auckland High Court, along with a Crown lawyer.

The Herald was granted permission to listen to the preliminary case management conference, which dealt with administrative matters, but is unable to report what was said.

A spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Justice confirmed the case management conference related to a judicial review of decisions made by the Department of Corrections about aspects of his prison conditions.

Another hearing is scheduled for July.

A police officer keeps watch at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch on the first anniversary of the terror attacks. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Australian terrorist was jailed for life without parole in 2020 for murdering 51 Muslims at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. In 2022 he filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Tarrant is one of a small number of inmates housed in the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit, set up four months after the attacks.

The unit, based within Auckland Prison, is operated by the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Directorate – a group also established in response to the March 15 terror attack.

Corrections National Commissioner Rachel Leota earlier said it manages other inmates who present “an ongoing risk of serious violence”.

It also supervises prisoners who have the ability to influence others to engage in serious violence or threats.