Christchurch: A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered that the man accused of killing 50 people at two Christchurch mosques undergo two mental health assessments to determine if he's fit to stand trial.
High Court judge Cameron Mander made the order during a hearing in which 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant appeared via video link from a small room at the maximum security Paremoremo prison in Auckland.
Tarrant was wearing handcuffs and a gray-colored sweater when he appeared on a large screen inside the Christchurch courtroom, which was packed with family members and victims of the shooting, some in wheelchairs and hospital gowns and still recovering from gunshot wounds.
Lawyers said Tarrant's mental health assessment could take two or three months to complete.
The judge said Tarrant was charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder.
In the March 15 attacks, 42 people were killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven were killed at the Linwood mosque and one more person died later.
The day after the attacks, Tarrant dismissed an appointed lawyer, saying he wanted to represent himself.
But he has now hired two Auckland lawyers to represent him, Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson.
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The next court hearing was scheduled for June 14, and the mental health findings would determine whether he is required to enter a plea then.
Outside the courtroom, Yama Nabi, whose father died in the attacks, said he felt helpless watching.
