Two New Zealand brothers have been sentenced to 16 and a half and 17 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting 18 young women at the Christchurch restaurant and bar they managed. The case, which shocked New Zealanders, has also prompted public debate over how the men were able to prey on young women for four years, and whether it reflects a wider culture of sexual violence and misogyny.
The two men, Danny and Roberto Jaz, 40 and 38 years old, sexually assaulted 18 patrons of Mama Hooch and Venuti, a well-known downtown bar and restaurant in Christchurch which was owned by their father, who is not accused of any wrongdoing. Many of the women were teenagers or in their early 20s at the time. Danny Jaz was the bar’s manager, and Roberto was a chef at Venuti and sometimes worked at the bar. The two men were born and raised in Australia, but moved to New Zealand in the early 2000s.
