CHRISTCHURCH – Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who killed 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand has asked for the trial to be moved to Auckland.
A judge said on Thursday that the lawyers for the Australian born have asked for the trial to be moved from the southern city of Christchurch.
High Court Justice Cameron Mander said at a hearing that the court would hear the request to move the trial will be held on October 3 and Tarrant would be held in custody until then; it is still not clear as to why the accused soght for a change of venue.
Tarrant had killed 51 people in a shooting spree in two mosques back in March with semi-automatic weapons; the attacker live streamed the shooting on Facebook.
The 29-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all 92 charges against him though New Zealand tightened gun laws again after mosque attack.
Tarrant was excused from appearing because the hearing was mainly about legal arguments; the alleged white supremacist is in custody at a high- security prison in Auckland.
The shooter is due to stand trial in May next year and the court was told it may be delayed by three to four weeks, which would ensure there is no overlap with Ramadan – a holy month in which Muslims fast.
