New Zealand Brothers Jailed Over Sexual Assault of 18 Women

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Facts

  • Two New Zealand brothers have been sentenced to 16 and a half and 17 years in prison for sexually assaulting 18 women at the bar and restaurant they managed in Christchurch.1
  • The two men, Danny, 40, and Roberto Jaz, 38, were charged with sexually assaulting 18 customers of popular Christchurch bar Mama Hooch and Venuti. The venue is owned by their father, who was not accused of any wrongdoing in the crimes.2
  • The brothers were arrested in 2018 as part of a large-scale police investigation in New Zealand called Operation Sinatra. Upon their arrest their father, Michael Jaz, accused the police of corruption, claiming that the evidence against his sons was coerced and fabricated.3
  • The two men were convicted of 69 charges, including rape, sexual violation, indecent assault, stupefying, disabling, making intimate recordings of women without their knowledge or consent, and supplying illicit drugs.4
  • During sentencing on Thursday, Judge Paul Mabey of the Christchurch District Court said the brothers' "level of ... offending" was "unknown" in New Zealand. The judge also ruled that the two must serve at least half their respective sentences before being eligible for parole.5
  • Two other men were previously charged alongside the Jaz brothers. One was acquitted on all sex and drug charges except for the charge of offering to supply a Class B drug, though he was later discharged without conviction. The other was acquitted on a single sexual assault charge.6

Sources: 1The Guardian, 2Newshub, 3Independent, 4NZ Herald (a), 5MSN, and 6NZ Herald (b).

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Independent. Justice has been served. The Jaz brothers are horrible sexual predators who targeted and assaulted women at a scale unprecedented in New Zealand. The brave survivors who testified in this case likely saved many more young women from a similar fate. These men deserve to serve their entire prison sentences.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Guardian. This case reflects a larger issue of misogyny and sexual violence in New Zealand. While these men and their heinous crimes are disgusting, we should not conveniently distance ourselves from them or their actions. We must also critique the culture and society that has allowed for this sort of behavior to breed due to its longstanding draconian attitudes towards women.