Tim Jago sentencing: Former Act Party president jailed for latest sex abuse charge

A victim of disgraced Act Party president Tim Jago says the sexual abuse he suffered left him struggling to trust others and caused him “fear, anxiety, anger and embarrassment”.

Today, Judge Brooke Gibson sentenced Jago to 18 months’ imprisonment for the crime, on top of the two and a half years he is already serving for sexually abusing two teenage boys, one of whom had been under 16.

Through his lawyer, Ian Brookie, Jago finally admitted to sexually assaulting the two teens he had denied abusing at his 2024 trial.

“I regret things, and I am very apologetic; my remorse grows [with each] reflection.”

Judge Gibson told the court that Jago had not acknowledged the offending until now, and that the other two victims had had to give evidence at trial.

The latest victim told the court today that, before the abuse in the 1990s, he was a champion athlete who was always “on the podium” and thought he was “invincible”.

He told the court that, after the death of a fellow surf lifesaver, Jago had been there for him and others. At one event after the death, the then-teenager had been drinking and woke up to the abuse.

“Since the assault, my life has changed in ways I never expected.”

He submitted that he never patrolled beaches or competed again.

The man had experienced “fear, anxiety, anger and embarrassment” after the assault.

He told the court he had struggled to trust others and struggled in his relationships.

“I’ve found it difficult to be around people.”

Judge Gibson said the latest offending was similar to the charges on which Jago was previously convicted, in that the complainants were young and intoxicated.

“He awoke in bed naked with you performing [a sex act] on him.”

Judge Gibson said the man, who was young at the time, had “suffered greatly” as a result and his life had been knocked off track.

“The harm didn’t just end on the day it occurred”

As an older member of the surf lifesaving community, Jago had abused his victim’s trust.

Brookie said his client also wanted to make a further reparation payment of $1500 to the complainant, as he had offered to the others.

While no payment had been made to the other men to date, Brookie said it would be a priority once Jago left prison.

Crown lawyer Emma Kerr submitted that “significant harm” had been caused by the offending and she rejected the submission that the breach of trust was slight.

Earlier this week, the Herald revealed that Jago had pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, which had been laid late last year.

The plea was entered last week, and Brookie said the quick turnaround to sentencing was due to the date being available.

An indecency charge he was facing is not being pursued at this stage.

Detective Sam Walker, the officer in charge, said police received a report in late 2025 about the matter.

“This was a result of publicity on offending that had occurred around the same period in the 1990s, which Tim Jago had already been sentenced for.”

Walker said police were pleased the case had been resolved without the need for a trial.

“We would like to acknowledge harm caused to the victims who have come forward.

“We would also encourage any other victims who have matters they need to raise to come forward to police. The offending we are aware of to date all occurred within the surf lifesaving community.”

In August 2024, the disgraced former Act Party president was separately found guilty by a jury of the indecent assault of two teenage boys he mentored through a sports club during the 1990s.

He was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment and unsuccessfully appealed against both his sentence and convictions.

He had argued that some of the charges should not have been considered and that the judge’s directions to the jury were inadequate.

Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues such as sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.