A Moment In Crime - The Patron: Inside James Wallace’s complex court cases and name suppression fight

Sir James Wallace appears at the Auckland High Court for sentencing. Photo / Michael Craig

The second episode of the Herald podcast special A Moment In Crime - The Patron has now been released, looking back at the life and crimes of disgraced knight and serial sex attacker James Hay Wallace, 85.

Until his spectacular fall from grace, the Auckland rich-lister was considered one of the biggest supporters of New Zealand film and art.

Herald senior journalist Anna Leask has written and hosted a three-part special delving into the investigation and prosecution of Wallace - arguably one of the most high-profile and scandalous sex abuse trials this country has seen.

Part One was released last week, and Part Two is now available.

Wallace, a flamboyant philanthropist, lived a life of opulence and spread his fortune - estimated at around $170 million - generously among up-and-coming musicians, writers, actors, dancers and community groups.

He amassed a collection of art like no other in this country, sharing his pieces in notable buildings like the Supreme Court and the Pah Homestead, where they could be viewed and enjoyed by all Kiwis.

Wallace was respected, revered - and even knighted.

But behind the money and resplendence, Wallace was a serial sex offender who lured men to his mansion on the premise of discussing funding proposals or helping with projects or careers, then abusing them when they least expected it.

Wallace before his arrest, when he was still referred to as Sir James. Photo / Doug Sherring

In February 2017, the Herald broke the story that Wallace had been charged with indecently assaulting a young man who had been living at Rannoch, his stately home.

An almost-blanket suppression order was in place preventing the elderly defendant from being identified and until this year he could only be referred to in coverage of his case as “a prominent businessman”.

Part One of A Moment In Crime - The Patron sets out Wallace’s background and climb to rich-list status, and how the case against him came about.

Leask was the only journalist Wallace spoke to about the case.

You can listen to what he told her in part one of the podcast special here:

The day of his debut in the Auckland District Court, he told Herald journalist Anna Leask that any accusation that he sexually assaulted someone was “completely truthless”.

“It’s not going to come to anything,” he stated.

“There is absolutely no substance to it, it is a completely vicious blackmailing effort, which is not going to succeed.

“It’s incredibly unfair. It’s horrible to have this... truthless accusation hanging over my head. This could affect my personal reputation and my ability to help the organisations I am involved in.

“It’s a pack of lies.”

He said was confident that the charge “would never come to anything”.

But in March 23, 2021, a jury found him guilty of the charge - and of sexually assaulting two other men who had come forward after that initial court appearance.

He and his house manager Mustafa Yikar were also convicted of multiple attempts at bribing the first victim to stop him from testifying in court.

Well-known entertainer Mika X also pleaded guilty to his involvement in one of the bribery attempts.

Mika X, also known as Mika Haka, leaves Auckland High Court after sentencing in March 2021. Photo / Michael Craig

Wallace’s case took years to resolve with multiple trial dates - one delayed, one aborted and the case then moved to the High Court at Auckland.

After he was sentenced, he continued to fight to clear his name, mounting various appeals to keep his identity suppressed and himself out of prison.

But ultimately, prison is where Wallace ended up - and where he belongs for his 16-year period of offending.

A Moment In Crime - The Patron tells the story across three episodes of Wallace’s life, crimes, court case and the impact it had on the victims and wider community.

Part One is now available, with the next two parts coming out on September 28 and October 5. In this episode, you’ll hear from NZ Herald reporter Sam Hurley, who covered the trial across multiple years. In later episodes, we’ll hear from the victims in their own words, and from the arts community on how the crime affected them.

You can listen to the podcast on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

These episodes of A Moment In Crime deal with sexual offending and are intended for a mature audience.

A Moment in Crime is a Herald crime podcast, with new episodes out every month.

If you need help, or you are worried about someone else, there is a list of crisis and support agencies at the end of this story.

The first episode of A Moment In Crime was released in September 2019 and focused on the Christchurch terror attack to mark six months since the shootings in two city mosques.

Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly, and so far Leask has covered 44 cases.

A Moment In Crime has topped the overall and true crime charts on numerous occasions and has listeners in more than 80 countries.

The podcast won a silver award in the True Crime category at the inaugural New Zealand Podcast Awards in 2021.

It was also nominated in 2022.

If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz.