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.
The abuse occurred before his involvement with the ACT Party.
1News approached the families of the two victims for comment on the appeal. The mother of one victim said she was “astounded” and “in disbelief that this could happen”.
She said it had the potential to deter victims of other abuse cases from coming forward.
Paul Oliver, a victim who gained court approval to reveal his identity, told 1News the appeal “was another step in the journey of a survivor”.
It “seems like a lot of time wasting and expense”, he said.
