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Man jailed for 21 months for sharing video of Christchurch attacks

A man has been jailed in New Zealand for 21 months for sharing a livestream video of the Christch...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

11.54 18 Jun 2019


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Man jailed for 21 months for s...

Man jailed for 21 months for sharing video of Christchurch attacks

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

11.54 18 Jun 2019


Share this article


A man has been jailed in New Zealand for 21 months for sharing a livestream video of the Christchurch mosque attacks.

Philip Neville Arps - who owns an insulation company that uses Nazi imagery - sent the video to around 30 people and to a friend.

He asked for it to be modified to include a "kill count."

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The presiding judge said that Arps held "strong and unrepentant views" towards the Muslim community - with local media reporting that Arps responded by saying he held such views about "religion on a whole".

The New Zealand Herald reports that Judge Stephen O'Discroll told Arps that distributing the video the day after the attack showed "particular cruelty on your part".

44-year-old Arps  had admitted to sharing objectionable material, and pleaded guilty to two charges.

The Christchurch attacks happened on March 15th, when a gunman killed 51 people at a mosque and Islamic centre during Friday prayers.

Last week, the suspected gunman - a 29-year-old Australian man - pleaded not guilty to 92 charges, including 51 murder charges.

The video of the attack prompted Facebook to introduce new restrictions on live-streaming, with the social media company also pledging to work with academics to research new ways of tackling edited videos and photos.

Main image: Philip Neville Arps, left, appears for sentencing in the Christchurch District Court. Picture by: John Kirk-Anderson/AP/Press Association Images

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