The voice of Kyron Gosse rang out across the High Court as he pointed his finger at the terrorist who killed his aunt.
“Filled with his own racist agenda, this coward hid behind his big powerful guns and shot little old Linda from afar,” he shouted.
“This man is not one of us but that didn’t stop him from slaughtering us.”
Sitting just metres away in the dock, the gunman who had armed himself to the hilt with high-powered military-style weapons to carry out his rampages now looked an almost frail figure.
Brenton Tarrant, 29, is before the High Court at Christchurch for sentence on 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one terror related charge, for massacres at Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in March 2019.
He had stylised himself as a terrifying murderer but today, wearing only his prison garb and stripped of his guns, his tactical armour, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, he was revealed as a man of small stature.
And now, surrounded by security guards, it was his victims with the power, holding strong just a few metres away, delivering their victim impact statements to the court.
Mr Gosse stood tall, speaking of the loss his aunt Linda Armstrong, who died in the massacre at the Linwood Islamic Centre.
“I am fronting up here to tell you man to man, so that you understand exactly how I feel and how I have been impacted,” he said.
“When I reflect back on the Christchurch story it’s one of love and unity, heroism and leadership in the face of a horrific terror attack. A story in which the entire nation came together to utterly reject this man, his actions and everything that he stands for.”
He then turned to address the judge and the public gallery watching on.
“He had no issue with Linda Armstrong. He didn’t even know her,” he said. “She never even stood a chance.”
His voice broke into a yell, as he again raised a finger at Tarrant.
“Your Honour, I also want you to understand the utter rage, upon learning that this man was a guest to New Zealand,” he said.
“He entered into our home with ill intentions and hate in his heart, only to repay our hospitality by murdering our family and our guests, people who we welcome into this country with a promise of a better life. He stole that safety from them just as he stole our nation’s innocence.”
The sentencing continues, and is likely to take several days.
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