Teen who planned terror attack in Christchurch 'making progress'

  • 15/03/2018
The 18-year-old boy had planned to ram a car into a group of people and stab them.
The 18-year-old boy had planned to ram a car into a group of people and stab them. Photo credit: File

A radicalised teenage boy who planned a terrorist-style attack in Christchurch has had his first counselling session at a mosque.

The 18-year-old Muslim convert planned to ram a car into a group of people and stab them.

He expected police would kill him after his rampage started, so had written a goodbye note to his mother. 

The teenager later told a psychologist he "decided not to hurt anybody because he did not have the means to kill enough people".

Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen O'Driscoll received a report on his progress at a judicial monitoring session on Thursday, a month after he was sentenced, Christchurch Court News reports. 

A community probation official said the teen begun his series of mosque visits on Wednesday as part of his supervision, and also had his first session with a departmental psychologist. 

Defence counsel Anselm Williams told Judge O'Driscoll the monitoring reports were positive. 

"I have met him several times, and spoken to him on the phone on other occasions. Everything seems to be going very, very well and I want that to continue, as would he."

The boy has name suppression and the details of his offending cannot be published.

He lives in supervised conditions in monitored and supported accommodation that ensures he attends counselling.

Judge O'Driscoll told the boy today he had been compliant with the conditions of his sentence.

"You have settled in well and are engaging with staff. I accept that you have probably not found it easy to adjust to your new environment.

"All the reports before me indicate everything's going well. I encourage you to continue with that and make progress."

The boy has been remanded for another monitoring session on April 17, which will be held in open court. 

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