Mama Hooch rapist brothers Danny and Roberto Jaz will be back in court in October when their appeal against some of their convictions and their sentences is heard in Christchurch.
Sydney-born siblings Danny Jaz, 40, and Roberto Jaz, 38, were jailed in August 2023 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 brothers, described in court as prolific and predatory offenders, targeted female patrons and staff at their family bar in Christchurch, drugging and sexually assaulting them.
Danny Jaz was sentenced to 16½ 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.
They are both appealing against their convictions and sentences.
The court heard that Roberto Jaz did not accept his convictions and did not believe he had done anything wrong.
Neither brother showed any remorse at any stage of the proceedings.
The Herald has confirmed that appeals for both men will be held in the High Court at Christchurch in October.
The Herald understands Danny and Roberto Jaz are appealing against the convictions relating to charges they were found guilty of by Judge Paul Mabey KC following a lengthy District Court trial.
Danny Jaz pleaded guilty to 21 charges and Roberto Jaz to one charge - and Judge Mabey found them guilty on the balance of the charges for which they are convicted.
Last month police this confirmed that since the brothers were jailed they had received a further three complaints “relating to historic incidents at Mama Hooch”.
“Police will not comment on the specifics of the complaints at this time, however, we can confirm police are continuing to investigate,” said a spokesperson.
The Jaz brothers’ High Court appeals - like their defence teams during their District Court proceedings - are funded by Legal Aid.
READ MORE ON OPERATION SINATRA - THE UNRAVELLING OF THE MAMA HOOCH RAPISTS
The Herald reported last year that both offenders were granted government funding for two separate teams of lawyers to represent them in court as they defended the raft of charges against them.
The case was before the court for five years, during which time they appeared at various pretrial hearings and challenged several District Court rulings in higher jurisdictions, including name suppression decisions.
Legal aid is funded by the Ministry of Justice and can be granted to defendants who need a lawyer but cannot afford one.
To qualify for legal aid in a criminal case, a defendant has to be charged with an offence that could be punished with a prison term of six months or more.
Legal aid is also available for appeals .
The Jaz brothers both applied for and were granted legal aid, qualifying under the guidelines for the service.
It also came to light last month that the men would not be deported to Australia after their eventual release from prison.
It had been thought given they were born overseas - and the victims hoped - they would not be allowed to remain in New Zealand if granted parole or released at their statutory release dates.
However, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said it cannot remove them because of the length of time they have lived in this country.
“Neither Danny nor Roberto Jaz are liable for deportation as residence class visa holders due to the length of time they have lived in New Zealand,” INZ immigration resolutions manager Margaret Cantlon told RNZ last month.
“As per their New Zealand police certificates, Danny and Roberto’s first offences occurred in 2015, which is more than 10 years after they were first granted residence.”
New Zealand deportation laws can be used to remove migrants who have committed crimes, but only if the offences happen within two, five or 10 years of residence being granted - the period varies, depending on how serious the offence is.
In the case of the Jaz brothers - whose crimes fall into the most serious 10-year category - their offending occurred more than a decade after they got residence.
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz