Alleged NZ mosque gunman drops lawyer, will represent himself

A handout frame grab taken from a CCTV video made available by the state-run Turkish broadcaster TRT World on March 16, 2019 shows the arrival of a man who is believed to be Australia-born Brenton Tarrant on September 13, 2016 at Istanbul’s Ataturk International airport in Turkey.  (Photo by TRT World/AFP)

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) — The Australian gunman charged with murder for allegedly killing 50 people in mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques plans to represent himself, his court-appointed duty lawyer said Monday.

Brenton Tarrant was charged with one count of murder and appeared at Christchurch District Court on Saturday after the rampage during Friday prayers.

Duty lawyer Richard Peters, who represented him during the preliminary court hearing, told AFP the 28-year-old “indicated he does not want a lawyer”.

“He wants to be self-represented in this case,” Peters said

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