Jago was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault on two teenage boys, and copped a measly two-and-a-half years behind bars. The jury took just three hours to decide, yet here he is, claiming a “miscarriage of justice” and appealing his conviction with a high-priced lawyer in tow. And ACT? Instead of distancing themselves from this predator, they’ve been disturbingly quiet, with whispers of party insiders still backing their old mate. This from the same crew who demand “personal responsibility” and “consequences” for everyone else. Funny how principles vanish when it’s one of your own.
Yesterday, 1 News reported:
'Disbelief': Tim Jago's appeal against convictions, sentence set for June
Former ACT Party president Tim Jago's appeal against his convictions and sentence for historical abuse of two teenage boys will be heard in June — to the disbelief of the mother of one of his victims.
Last year a jury convicted Jago of indecently assaulting the teenagers he knew through an Auckland surf lifesaving club in the 1990s.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail. He gave up his battle for name suppression in January this year.
Jago's lawyer today confirmed the appeal would go ahead in June at a Court of Appeal hearing in Auckland.
The appeal is made on the grounds of a miscarriage of justice.
It claims "the jury reached an unreasonable verdict", and that the judge's summing up was "unbalanced and incomplete".
It also says the sentence was "excessive" and that home detention was clearly the appropriate sentence.
ACT’s tough-on-crime shtick is built on posturing...cracking down on gangs, pushing for longer sentences, and parading as the law-and-order saviours. Yet, when Jago’s victims, like survivor Paul Oliver, speak out about the ongoing pain of this appeal, where’s Seymour’s outrage?
Oliver called Jago’s appeal a “vanity project,” and he’s spot-on. It’s a slap in the face to victims (victims the coalition said would be at the heart of our justice system), dragging them through more legal torment while Jago pretends he's been wronged by a miscarriage of justice. If ACT were truly tough on crime, they’d be condemning this, not letting it slide. But no, their silence about Jago's complete lack of remorse appears to condone his despicable crimes.
ACT’s handling of Jago’s case has been dodgy from the start. When allegations surfaced in 2022, Seymour advised a victim’s wife to contact a lawyer...not the police. An employment lawyer, for a criminal matter! The Act Party obviously wanted to keep it hush-hush to dodge the 2023 election fallout. Name suppression dragged on for an unbelievable two years, shielding ACT from scrutiny while Jago’s victims suffered in silence. Now, with Jago appealing, the party’s still in damage control, issuing bland statements about “taking action” without a second thought for Jago's victims. Tough on crime? Yeah right!
This isn’t just about Jago...it’s about ACT’s moral bankruptcy. They can’t claim to champion victims while their ex-president, a convicted child abuser, gets a free pass to clog up the courts. If Seymour wants to salvage any credibility, he needs to publicly denounce Jago’s crimes and appeal and apologise to the victims. Anything less proves ACT’s “tough on crime” stance is a hollow slogan, trotted out for votes but ditched when it suits them. Kiwis deserve better than a party that picks and chooses which crimes to care about.
