Bar rapist assaulted in prison
Mama Hooch rapist Roberto Jaz has been assaulted by other inmates at Christchurch Men’s Prison.
The assault was outed when staff intervened to break up a later fight in a day room.
Roberto Jaz, 38, and his brother Danny Jaz, 40, were named publicly — for the first time since their arrests in 2017 — as the prolific sexual predators responsible for a raft of offending against women at central Christchurch bar Mama Hooch.
They are facing up to 20 years each in prison after being found guilty of a total of 69 charges including rape, sexual violation, indecent assault, stupefying, disabling, making intimate recordings of women without their knowledge or consent and supplying illicit drugs.
While initially granted bail, after they were convicted following their judge-alone trial in the Christchurch District Court both men were remanded in custody to await sentencing.
Until last week their names could not be published because of strict suppression orders.
Acting prison director Garron Star yesterday confirmed details of the assault.
He said staff responded to two prisoners fighting in a day room and “de-escalated the situation”.
“Staff reviewed CCTV footage and identified one of the prisoners had been assaulted an hour earlier in an exercise yard by two prisoners, including the person involved in the day room incident,” he said.
“None of the prisoners involved required medical attention.
“The perpetrators will be charged with misconduct.”
Star said police would be advised and would determine whether criminal charges were laid.
“We have a zero-tolerance-for-violence policy, and any violence or assaults against other prisoners or staff is not tolerated in prisons.”
Roberto Jaz’s lawyer Trudi Aickin would not comment on the matter.
Roberto and Danny Jaz will be sentenced across two days in August, to allow any of the more than 20 victims to read impact statements.
A source said Roberto Jaz might have been working in the prison kitchen given his experience as a chef.
The alleged offenders are said to have gang connections and “bashed Roberto for the rape”.
The source had heard both Jaz brothers were now in protective custody.