The Christchurch brothers jailed for prolific and predatory sexual offending against women - after spiking their drinks at the family-owned bar and restaurant where they worked - have appealed against their convictions and sentence.
Last month Danny Jaz, 40, and Roberto Jaz, 38, were jailed after being convicted of 69 charges between them including rape, sexual violation, indecent assault, stupefying, disabling, making intimate recordings of women without their knowledge or consent and supplying illicit drugs.
The rapist brothers targeted women at their family bar - both patrons and staff - and drugged and sexually assaulted them.
Danny Jaz was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison and his brother to 17 years.
Both were ordered to serve 50 per cent of the total sentence before they are eligible for parole.
After an offender is sentenced they have 20 working days to file an appeal against their conviction or punishment in a higher court.
Today at 5pm was the cut-off for the rapists - and a notice to appeal was filed in the High Court at Christchurch before 10.15am.
It is understood Danny and Roberto Jaz are appealing against the convictions relating to charges they were found guilty of by a judge following a lengthy District Court trial.
Both are appealing against their sentences.
No date has been set for any further court proceedings.
The offenders started their prison time at Christchurch Men’s Prison but were then transferred to Otago Corrections Facility in Milton.
A source said the transfer was for “safety”.
Corrections said it had no concerns for the safety of either convict.
At sentencing Judge Paul Mabey KC said neither Danny or Roberto Jaz had shown any remorse.
Danny Jaz had declined to engage with any pre-sentence report writers.
Days into a trial that spanned more than three months he pleaded guilty to 21 charges of sexual offending against women - but denied a raft of other similar charges and all charges relating to drink spiking and drugging his victims.
Roberto Jaz maintained his not guilty pleas to all charges at the same trial.
However, he pleaded guilty to a single charge of indecent assault before a second trial relating to similar offending against a woman.
In an interview for his pre-sentence report, Roberto Jaz said he did not accept Judge Mabey’s verdict and “does not believe he has done anything wrong”.
The Jaz brothers’ sentence is the harshest handed down in New Zealand for such offending.
“The level of your offending is unknown in this country,” said Judge Mabey in court.
“You helped yourself to young women with callous disregard for their rights and their dignity.
“You should both be in no doubt that you’ve severely damaged all of your victims by your predatory and heartless offending, driven by arrogance, misguided self-belief and a complete lack of respect for the rights of those you’ve offended against.”
The judge said the damage inflicted by the men “infiltrates” beyond the women - to their closest family and friends.
“You have seen first-hand now what you’ve done,” said the judge.
“And although neither of you has expressed any remorse or empathy or understanding or feelings - perhaps what you’ve observed today has hit home in some way. And I hope for your sake it has.”
He said the rapist’s continued claim that any sexual activity was “consensual” was “a fantasy.
“It was an astounding demonstration of the hubris entitlement which ultimately led to your downfall,” he said.
Judge Mabey said the men “heartlessly exploited” their victims.
“Both of you demonstrated through your words and your actions, the callous and predatory disregard for the young women you offended against,” he said.
“You are not men of good character - you are sexual predators.
“Perhaps misogynistic attitudes and the patriarchal approach to life within your family may have engendered a new and unhealthy attitude to women.
“You could not care less.”
Judge Mabey took time after sentencing to commend the women for their part in the prosecution of the rapist brothers.
Many of the women read powerful victim impact statements in court - facing their attackers head-on as they spoke.
“It may not be a lot of comfort to you brave women - but I was impressed with the way you gave your evidence … And I was impressed with your bravery today,” the judge said.
“You have seen first-hand now what you’ve done.
“And although neither of you has expressed any remorse or empathy or understanding or feelings - perhaps what you’ve observed today has hit home in some way. And I hope for your sake it has.”
“Their journey through the process has not been easy, however because of their courage they have made our community a safer place,” he said.
“These victims have helped raise awareness of this type of predatory behaviour, putting others on notice that this type of offending is serious and will be investigated and prosecuted.”
What the survivors told the rapist brothers: ‘You thought you were entitled to my body and my choices’
The first woman to read her statement was drugged and indecently assaulted by Danny Jaz.
She met him at Mama Hooch through friends and considered him someone she could trust, given his position as bar manager.
“I was so confused how it went so wrong that night, I dwell on it,” she said
“The following year when the articles of the Christchurch police looking for information on experiences at Mama Hooch came out - that’s when the pieces started coming together.”
She reported her assault to police and after that, lived in fear of bumping into Danny Jaz.
“Unfortunately, this did happen … At Rollickin Gelato [he] approached me, smiling and friendly and asked me why he had not seen me out in a while.
“In this moment, I went into autopilot, disassociating from the situation. It was like I was watching a film with myself responding to [him].
“I vividly remember awkwardly laughing - my body tense - and saying that I had been busy.”
She went home and had a panic attack.
“This was the very moment, the last straw for me living in Christchurch - I rang my mother and father and booked a one-way flight [overseas] until the [trial] date.
“There have been times where I would have loved to visit family, friends and loved ones back in Christchurch but … I have never felt comfortable enough to face the possibility … my memories in the city that I considered my home are permanently tainted.”
She said the assault had left her unable to trust people - particularly men.
She said Danny Jaz had “stripped” her of being able to enjoy a night out with friends because she no longer felt safe.
“For me, the carefree fun-loving girl I once was never returned and likely never will,” she said.
She told the court she barely drank alcohol anymore and isolated herself socially, opting to stay at home instead of joining friends out for events.
The woman has been seeing a psychologist to help her navigate her trauma - at a cost of $230 for every 15-minute session.
“Danny, you have damaged me,” she said.
“My outlook on life is skewed because of what you thought you were entitled to - my body and my choices.
“It’s hard to find any positives in this situation - other than the overwhelming feeling I have been immensely proud of myself and everyone else who stayed strong throughout the last five years.
“We have waited so long to tell our story, have our validation and have our justice … Knowing that no other woman will ever be in danger of the Jaz brothers was my purpose.”
The woman told the court that her experience has made her rethink her career path and she plans to join the police.
“There are monsters out there,” she said.
“It was never my fault I was targeted and preyed upon … It was out of my control … I want to protect and support anyone who finds themselves in my position.
“I want to fight for women, fight for them to be believed, fight for them to be safe in our cities and towns.”
‘Your disregard towards women is disgusting’
Another woman stupefied with drugs and indecently assaulted by Danny Jaz said she felt “numb and shocked” for a long time afterwards.
“I couldn’t believe what just happened … and to this very day, I’m still struggling.”
She said she felt angry, anxious and sick when she read about Operation Sinatra and realised there were other women - many other women - in her position.
The thought of going out and possibly seeing her attacker was “distressing”.
One night she did see Danny Jaz at a bar and he tried to buy her a drink.
Her friend intervened and told him to back off and he replied “I didn’t do anything to her”.
“You dipped your finger into a drink before tasting it,” she recalled of the encounter.
“That sparked my anxiety and I started to shake at this point … You didn’t even know I’d been in contact with the police.”
The woman ended up on medication for anxiety and depression.
“This process has been tough - mentally and physically draining,” she said.
“This process has caused a lot of anxiety and stress … I was having to take time off work for my mental well-being and sleepless nights.
“To see your face at the verdict for the first time since 2018 caused a lot of emotions - I was shaking before you got into the courtroom. I took one look at you and broke down in tears.
“I was trying to be strong … when it all got released to the media but that was another ball of emotions, anxiety and stress I had to deal with.
“People were constantly talking about [Operation Sinatra] and asking if I’ve heard of this Mama Hooch court case … it’s hard to sit there and listen to people talking about something that I have been so heavily part of and experienced.”
The woman has moved “well away” from Christchurch, saying she felt like she was “suffocating” being in the same city as Danny Jaz.
“The offending against me has changed me. I struggle with it,” she said.
“I am fearful and vigilant in social settings and I am constantly having flashbacks.
“Danny, I feel utterly sad for you and what you’re going to experience. Your sentence will never be able to get me back to the way I was prior to the event.
“Your disregard towards women is disgusting.”
‘You - and only you - decided that my body was yours for the taking’
Sophie Brown waived her right to automatic and permanent name suppression so she could speak freely about her ordeal.
She told the court that when Danny Jaz drugged and sexually assaulted her she experienced “some of the darkest days” of her life.
“I was 19 and in my first year of university, living in a flat and spending most of my money partying and having a good time - living a true student life,” she said.
The morning after the assault she knew when she woke that something was terribly wrong.
“Something to this day, I don’t think I can quite describe,” she said.
“As I gained consciousness I was overwhelmed with feelings of confusion, anxiousness, and fear.
“I had no clue as to why … But something within my body was telling me that I was getting closer to the truth of what I was feeling.
“I was searching my brain, trying to visualise the memory … the sensation of needing to scream crept up on me and tears poured from my eyes.”
She turned to Danny Jaz.
“I didn’t understand why but I knew something was wrong. I knew something horrible had happened to me last night and that something horrible was you deciding that I was your next victim,” she said.
Brown pieced together what she could of the night before and went to police to report her assault.
“These memories will be etched in my brain forever,” she said
“I searched for constant distraction, which has even sometimes meant self-sabotaging my life to live in chaos in order to avoid the silence.
“You stole my fierce independence from me. You stole my right to feel safe in my own mind from me and you stole my right to autonomy over my own body away from me.”
She said people who knew her would describe her as a person who is confident, tenacious, and strong-willed.
“But when it comes to romance and relationships with men, I become a timid pushover who fears that if I don’t please them, I’m not doing my job as a woman,” she said.
“I lack confidence, trust, and the safety of believing that I have control and am enough.
“There’s a few reasons that I’m exploring as to why that is but your name is highlighted, underlined and in bold on top of this list.
“You’ve made it difficult for me to trust men, to form meaningful connections and enjoy the happiness I deserve of loving healthy relationships.
“I believe you have a daughter. She’ll be 19 one day and you’ve made sure that she continues to live in a world where women are exploited.
“She continues to live in a world full of men like you who believe women owe you the privilege of access to their own bodies, irrespective of whether she wants to or not.
“She continues to live in a world where the chances of her encountering a man like you are one in four.”
Brown said the irony of the situation is that she felt “bad” Danny Jaz was going to jail.
“I’m working on that - and one day I won’t feel bad for you… one day I won’t feel an ounce of shame or responsibility for what you did to me.
“You - and only you - decided that my body was yours for the taking.
“I’ll continuously work to shift the shading back onto you.”
Brown said she had “only just stopped” blaming herself for what happened to her at Mama Hooch.
“But I haven’t let you ruin my life,” she told her attacker.
“Don’t assume you’re anything more than worthless.
“I’m still a confident tenacious and strong woman who will continue to rise miles above you because I deserve a happy and meaningful life - the opposite of what you deserve.”
‘Suffocated and unable to breathe’
A woman drugged by both brothers and assaulted by Roberto Jaz said her experience had been traumatic and had a profound impact her on life which was “difficult to put into words”.
“In the aftermath of the events, I experienced immense mental disarray and emotional distress.
“At the time I was living alone and felt isolated and terrified, grappling with intrusive thoughts and panic attacks for a prolonged period. Eating and sleeping became challenging and my mental health deteriorated to the point where the police were called to my residence due to concerns of my wellbeing.
“When I finally confided in someone close to me about what had happened, they dismissed my experience and placed blame on me, intensifying my feelings of guilt, shame, and embarrassment.
“This narrative that it was my fault consumed me and hindered my ability to move forward to protect myself from the pain associated with the trauma.”
She did not realise the severity of what happened to her until she went to police three years later.
“I began to fully comprehend … I allowed myself to acknowledge that I was groomed and drugged with intent,” she said.
“I realised that I was completely taken advantage of and that the blame does not belong with me.”
She said she suffered panic attacks that left her feeling “suffocated and unable to breathe”.
“The long-term impact on my mental health and well-being has been severe.
“I am sceptical and fearful of others frequently, hypervigilant about my surroundings and the people I encounter.
“I have a general lack of trust and often feel unsafe, which has had a long-term effect on my ability to grow and maintain relationships with others.”
She said the court process had been appalling for her.
“My character and relationship with my new partner were brutally scrutinised (at the trial) and I was subjected to emotional ammunition from the defence lawyers,” she said.
“This experience in the courtroom was deeply traumatic and… the impacts of the court process were deeply disheartening.”
‘You made me feel scared to be a female’
“This experience has made me question everything that I thought I knew,” said another women assaulted by Danny Jaz.
“I feel apprehensive and on edge. When there are males around me I am constantly checking to ensure no one is standing too close so that they could drive more drugs.
“I feel I’m hypervigilant now… this is not only extremely tiring but also has taken the joy and happiness I used to experience in socialising with my friends.
“I question every situation I’m in and try and ensure that I am never caught in this kind of situation.”
The woman told the court she had never taken drugs and was gutted that the choice had been taken from her by the Jaz brothers.
“What was done to me was not only a cowardly act, but it also took away my decision about what I want to do myself.
“Danny, you made me feel violated. You made me really unconfident in going out and having fun with my friends.
“You made me feel uncomfortable around men I don’t know and I question every man.
“You made me feel stupid that I trusted you. I thought that you were a normal nice guy, but you took advantage of that.
“You made me feel scared to be a female with your intentions and actions.”
‘I was supposed to be safe around you’
This survivor was one of the women who sparked the police investigation into the Jaz brothers.
The Herald has used the pseudonym Katherine for her during the court process.
She and a friend - named as Penny in previous Herald stories - were attacked at the same time and stood together to support each other as they read their statements.
“It is extremely difficult for me to describe to you what I think and what I feel towards what you’ve done,” Katherine said.
She explained that she started working for the Jaz family at one of their hospitality venues when she was 15.
She trusted the Jaz brothers and said she felt “confident and comfortable” - moving into more hours of employment each week as she got older.
“I was supposed to be safe around you, but your intentions were distorted,” she said.
“I had no reason not to trust you. I did nothing wrong.”
She said the trauma of the night of the attack was only the beginning of her ordeal.
She has had to relive the experience repeatedly during the police investigation and court process.
“Physically I suffered bruises, bite marks and pain. These were initial reminders of what you did,” she said.
“I was sick, confused and scared … The thought of no one believing me terrified me.”
Katherine said she blamed herself for what happened - and for what happened to her friend.
Roberto Jaz lured them to Venuti from Mama Hooch and offered the MDMA.
But the women believe it was a different and much stronger substance and it rendered them incapable of moving, talking and even seeing at points.
While they were stupefied Roberto Jaz physically and sexually assaulted them.
They were 18 years old.
“What you did set an example, a twisted perception of what nightlife can be,” Katherine told her attacker.
“You implanted a fear in me … I lived in fear of seeing you … I went through a phase of paranoia.”
She said it was a relief that the Jaz brothers’ crimes were now public and their name suppression was no longer in place.
“I suffered intense feelings of not being understood,” she said.
“I felt isolated, I secluded myself after what happened, I shut up from everything and everyone.
“Three months later, it had been made known to me that it wasn’t just Penny and I - you and your brother did this to dozens of other innocent women.
“I become distraught, angry, deranged … I felt helpless… as more brave women came forward, which uncovered the horrific extent of you and your brother’s disturbing offending.
“You chose to harm hundreds of people who have been affected, not just one.
“What you did to me and to all the, all the other survivors will stay with me for life.”
Katherine said she had become more compassionate, patient and stronger as a result of her trauma.
“My focus is not on you but on me,” she said.
‘I was targeted by a predator’
“The event was 2018, three days after my 18th birthday, I was targeted by a predator,” said Penny after her friend finished giving her statement.
“What this man did to me was violent.
“It’s a disgusting act performed on a young, helpless teenage girl who was unable to consent that night.
“He took my innocence when he decided to violate my innocent young body.”
Penny said her trauma was intensified because she had to watch her friend get assaulted - powerless to stop what was happening.
“He knew that the drug would incapacitate us so he could do whatever he wanted to us - getting his twisted sexual pleasures and violent pleasures out of us,” she said.
“I still have some memory of the events - it’s affected me so greatly, it haunts me every day, but over the years, I’ve been learning how to cope.
“You left me feeling like a man will always hurt me. I always feel like I’m nothing - like that feeling I got when you left me laying on the floor or in the booth.”
She struggled with anxiety, depression, anger and alcohol issues since the attack.
“As a young adult, I should have been living my life with no stress or anxiety - certainly not going through this process.
“You were still living your life for five years as I was trying to fight to bring justice.
“These were not my best years, but some of my worst. I did not deserve that.”
She turned to Roberto Jaz and directed a powerful message at him.
“Now you have no power over me,” she said.
“Who will you become now, apart from a serial sex offender with your name out there for the crimes that you have committed.
“Knowing that it is a liberating feeling for us, all that stand against you.”
“I feel that even though this is the worst thing that has ever happened and I know it wasn’t in the plan for me to come that night - I am somewhat reassured that I did because that was your downfall.
“That was the biggest mistake you’ve ever made because you let me come down to the restaurant right? Because I was there for Katherine and she was there for me.
“We were each other’s strength.”
‘My whole world changed’
The last woman to read her statement was the former Mama Hooch staffer who was raped by Roberto Jaz.
Danny Jaz was also convicted of rape because while not participating in the act - he “delivered” her to his brother and collected her afterwards so was “a party” to the offence.
“I was 21 years old. I had just graduated ... I was excited about the future,” she said.
“I was an outgoing person with an openness to meeting new people, visiting new places and an eagerness to create and establish an independent lifestyle.
“In April 2017, my whole world changed ... I was drugged, raped, violated and filmed by two men who I considered to be my employers.
“After the assault ... Every time I got into the shower or changed clothes and looked down at my body, I was reminded of the night that you chose to take my autonomy away from me.
“I remember getting in the shower the next day and scrubbing my skin hoping that the repulsive feeling I could wash away.
“I found myself left with emotional injuries that would only increase in severity.
“The longer the time went on, my body didn’t feel like mine anymore. I went from somebody who liked who I was to someone who was repulsed with what I saw in the mirror.
“It got so bad that I contemplated taking my life more than once and started thinking of the least painful ways to go.”
She said the sex-offending siblings had harmed her “physically, emotionally, psychologically” and “robbed” her of her right to self-love.
“You took away my trust and you took away my right to live as a young carefree woman without fear,” she said.
“After the incident, I broke the hearts of my mother, my father, my brothers, my friends in telling them what you did to me - and not once have you taken any accountability for what you’ve done.
‘But I need to make it very clear that despite all of this, you didn’t take anything from me that I haven’t recovered from in great strides.
“I have regained so much after what you did. I have retaught myself to love and feel love ... Despite my scars, I am so loved and supported ... I can finally say that I feel this dark cloud clearing.”
The woman thanked the police who she said “worked countless hours fighting for justice, for myself and others” and the Crown Prosecutors who “ensure I felt as calm as possible in such an intimidating environment.
“They have worked incredibly hard to hold these men accountable,” she said.
She told the rapists:
“This incident will not be who I am - and my trauma is not who I am.
“You are not a part of who I am and you can’t make a difference anymore.”
SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.
By Anna Leask
