Prominent businessman convicted of sexually abusing three men can now be named

Five years after first being charged, Sir James Hay Wallace can now be named as the “prominent businessman” who sexually abused three young men – and tried to silence one by attempting to bribe him to drop the police complaint.

Stuff and NZME successfully revoked his name suppression on the morning of his first trial in 2019. However, at every step, Wallace appealed.

But his final right to appeal was put to a stop by New Zealand’s highest court on Wednesday.

On the outside, he appeared an old man who walked cautiously. But behind the closed doors of his mansion, he was a predator. A man who preyed on young men.

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Wallace, 85, was worth about $165million according to NBR’s 2018 rich list.

He’s a knight, a wealthy businessman, a giver of money and a patron of the arts, but in supporting the arts he abused those he provided funding for.

In 2021 Wallace was found guilty of sexually assaulting three men who were visiting him at his Epsom home, Rannoch House.

The three men were indecently assaulted in 2000 or 2001, 2008 and 2016.

In the two earlier cases, both men had been invited to the Wallace’s home for business meetings seeking grants. In both cases, they had been given alcohol and the assaults took place after they were taken on a tour of the house.

One of the men believed the Wallace had spiked his drink with drugs.

In the 2016 assault, the victim was living and working at the house as part of Wallace’s residency.

He told the court he had food poisoning on the night he was attacked. The same night Wallace climbed into his bed, “spooned” him, then sexually assaulted him.

After the 2016 victim went to the police, the businessman and others made several attempts to convince him to drop the complaint.

Jevan Goulter and Alison Edmonds, who were given immunity from prosecution, admitted flying to the Gold Coast in May 2017 and luring the complainant to the Palazzo Versace hotel, promising him work contracts if he came back to New Zealand with them to withdraw his police statement.

During the trial, Wallace mentioned multiple times well-known PR figure and former National Party president, Michelle Boag, was the reason he hired Goulter.

Wallace told jurors he wanted to engage Boag specifically, because she had been recommended as a person who was “very good at solving public relations problems”.

But Boag was never engaged and Goulter admitted he’d lied about Boag’s involvement.

Famed dancer and arts producer Mika X, also known as Mika Haka, was sentenced to 11 months’ home detention for his part in the elaborate plot to convince the victim to drop his case.

Mika X left Goulter and Edmonds with a draft contract promising work in the United States. This was offered to the complainant, but he did not accept it.

At Wallace’s sentencing, Justice Geoffrey Venning said it was for Wallace’s benefit to bribe the victim from giving evidence and he was prepared to spend significant amounts of money.

“You had others do your dirty work,” Justice Venning said.

Ahead of sentencing, Stuff revealed Wallace appeared to put his name to an email sent to 167 people and group email addresses, begging for letters of support to keep him out of jail.

Justice Venning sent him to jail, only for Wallace to successfully appeal that at the Court of Appeal. He was, however, sent back to jail earlier this year.

The survivors

At Wallace’s sentencing, one of his survivors told the court the power balance had now shifted.

“The three of us told the truth and have taken back some of the power this unspeakable person has taken from us.”

In the 2016 victim’s statement, he said Wallace had been a mentor and someone he had trusted.

He said his career had been ruined, and he had “become an unreliable employment prospect thanks to my anxiety”, taking menial jobs to get by.

His former mentor’s actions had caused him intense anxiety, for which he’d had to seek counselling and psychiatric help, he said.

“I want to feel safe returning to New Zealand, my home.”

The victim of the 2000 or 2001 assault told the court he had recurring memories of the incident, including “the smell of his breath as I struggled to peel him off me”.

“Everything that put me in that house on that night turned to ashes in my mind.”

The man said he had tried to get on with his life, but the rise of the #metoo movement in 2018 caused him to relive the event “every day”.

He had been labelled a liar and a fantasist while giving evidence in court, he said.

“James Wallace’s continued denial of [his] guilt has forced me to relive the trauma again and again and again.”

The third victim, who was assaulted in 2008, told the court he had come to the house for a meeting and had been “grabbed and kissed” by Wallace.

He said he had to “sit in the witness box and describe my assault in detail twice” and had been characterised as arrogant, angry and vengeful.

Who is Sir James?

Wallace was born in Cambridge. His father was a pig farmer and agricultural contractor who founded a rendering company which would eventually become the Wallace Corporation.

He attended King’s College in Auckland and studied at the University of Auckland before he joined the family business.

He made his money in the rendering business after training as a lawyer and working for several other companies first.

“None of those things were inherited. Quite the contrary, I created it all my myself,” Wallace previously told Stuff.

He began collecting art in the mid-1960s and in 1992 he transferred some of his collection to the James Wallace Arts Trust which is housed in the Pah Homestead.

In 2011, Wallace was appointed as Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to the arts in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Wallace is also a founding trustee of various charitable trusts including the Auckland Chamber Orchestra and he’s a founding patron of the Auckland Theatre Company, NZ Opera and NZ Ballet.

He also sat on the board of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

In 1992 Wallace launched the Wallace Arts Trust, which supported the arts. It provides 120 grants each year and over two decades more than $10 million has been gifted to various creative products.

The website states the annual awards was cancelled in 2021 and also would not take place in 2022.

“The Trust is currently refreshing our strategic plan and reviewing the awards will form part of this work.

“We remain committed to celebrating New Zealand artists on a grand scale and we’ll be looking at new and different ways of doing so in years to come.”

Where to get help for sexual violence

• Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00, click link for local helplines.
• Safe to Talk 0800 044 334, text 4334, webchat safetotalk.nz or email support@safetotalk.nz.
• Victim Support 0800 842 846
• The Harbour Online support and information for people affected by sexual abuse.
• Women’s Refuge 0800 733 843 (females only)
• Male Survivors Aotearoa Helplines across NZ, click to find out more (males only).
• If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111.

Need help? If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, click the Shielded icon at the bottom of this website to contact Women’s Refuge in a safe and anonymous way without it being traced in your browser history. If you’re in our app, visit the mobile website here to access Shielded.