Mama Hooch rapist brothers Roberto and Danny Jaz transferred to new prison - for ‘safety’

Mama Hooch rapist brothers Danny and Roberto Jaz have been transferred to a different prison away from Christchurch.

A source has said the move was for “safety”.

Corrections will not comment on the specifics but said the transfer was not the result of safety concerns for the newly sentenced inmates.

Danny and Roberto Jaz were sentenced to significant prison terms last month after they were 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 brothers - described repeatedly by police and the sentencing judge as “predatory” - were behind a long-running campaign of drink spiking and sexual assaults at Christchurch bar Mama Hooch and nearby restaurant Venuti.

The bar and restaurant were both owned by their father Michael Jaz.

Danny Jaz, 40, worked as a manager at Mama Hooch and Roberto Jaz, 38, was the chef at Venuti.

Roberto Jaz, 38, (left) and Danny Jaz, 40, (right) were convicted of 69 charges. Photo / George Heard

Judge Paul Mabey KC sentenced Roberto Jaz to 17 years in prison and his older brother to 16-and-a-half years.

Both must serve half of their sentence before they are eligible to appear before the Parole Board.

The convicted sex offenders were being detained at Christchurch Men’s Prison.

But the Herald has learned that after sentencing they were transferred to Otago Corrections Facility in Milton.

A source said the transfer was for their “safety”.

In May the Herald revealed Roberto Jaz had been assaulted in prison.

The attack came days after his five-year name suppression order lapsed.

When the siblings were sentenced last month Danny Jaz sported a black eye and appeared to have a recent nose injury.

The Department of Corrections would not be drawn on the Jaz brothers’ imprisonment.

“Our number one priority is the safety of the public, our staff and prisoners,” a spokesperson said.

“For operational safety and security reasons and due to our obligations under the Privacy Act, we do not comment on the placement of individual prisoners.”

The Herald sought information on Danny Jaz’s visible injuries at the sentencing hearing.

“We have no information to indicate either of these prisoners have been involved in any incidents in recent weeks,” said the spokesperson.

After this story was published Corrections issued a further comment.

“These prisoners have not been transferred due to safety concerns,” a spokesperson said.

At sentencing, Judge Mabey said neither Danny or Roberto Jaz had shown any remorse.

Danny Jaz had declined to engage with any pre-sentence report writers.

He pleaded guilty to 21 charges of sexually assaulting women days into a trial that spanned more than three months.

Convicted rapist Danny Jaz. Photo / George Heard

Roberto Jaz maintained his not-guilty pleas 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.

Convicted rapist Roberto Jaz. Photo / George Heard

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.”

The siblings were supported in court by their younger brother Davide Jaz, who also worked at Mama Hooch but was never charged with any offending.

Neither he, the rapists’ mother or Danny Jaz’s partner have responded to the Herald.

The women, and Danny Jaz’s two young children have permanent name suppression.

Among the women who read statements was the former Mama Hooch staffer who Roberto Jaz raped - filming the act on his phone without her knowledge.

Danny Jaz was also convicted of rape because while not particiapting in the act - he “delivered” her to his brother and collected her afterwards so was “a party” to the offence.

“My whole world changed,” she said of the assault.

“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 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.

• For more on what the survivors told the court visit nzherald.co.nz

“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” and her trust in people.

“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. I can finally say that I feel this dark cloud clearing.”

She said she refused to let the assault define her.

“This will not be who I am - and my trauma is not who I am,” she told the rapists.

“You are not a part of who I am and you can’t make a difference anymore.”