Once the most revered philanthropist in New Zealand arts, James Wallace’s world started crumbling when a young man accused him of sexual assault.
After the emergence of more victims and a six-year legal battle, Wallace was convicted of multiple crimes, no longer able to keep name suppression and stripped of his knighthood.
The case raised major legal questions about the justice system, its treatment of abuse victims and name suppression laws.
It also forced the arts sector to examine whether it had turned a blind eye to Wallace’s offending, in return for millions of dollars worth of patronage.
Featuring new in-depth interviews, including Wallace’s only media interview since conviction, this is the story of his rise and fall, crimes and punishment - and his survivors.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Some listeners might find this distressing. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Written, hosted and produced by Kate Langdon and Philippa Tolley. Sound design, audio editing and mixing by Connor Scott. Additional sound recording by John Ropiha. Assistant producer: Jen Black. Visual design: Yasin Karadeniz. Legal: Charlotte Foster. Executive producer: Chris Reed. Special thanks: Catrin Owen, Edward Gay, Matt Slaughter, Elmo Johnstone and Laura Heathcote.
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Once the most revered philanthropist in New Zealand arts, James Wallace’s world started crumbling when a young man accused him of sexual assault.
After the emergence of more victims and a six-year legal battle, Wallace was convicted of multiple crimes, no longer able to keep name suppression and stripped of his knighthood.
The case raised major legal questions about the justice system, its treatment of abuse victims and name suppression laws.
It also forced the arts sector to examine whether it had turned a blind eye to Wallace’s offending, in return for millions of dollars worth of patronage.
Featuring new in-depth interviews, including Wallace’s only media interview since conviction, this is the story of his rise and fall, crimes and punishment - and his survivors.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Some listeners might find this distressing. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Written, hosted and produced by Kate Langdon and Philippa Tolley. Sound design, audio editing and mixing by Connor Scott. Additional sound recording by John Ropiha. Assistant producer: Jen Black. Visual design: Yasin Karadeniz. Legal: Charlotte Foster. Executive producer: Chris Reed. Special thanks: Catrin Owen, Edward Gay, Matt Slaughter, Elmo Johnstone and Laura Heathcote.
Wallace’s patronage provided critical support to emerging artists and major organisations alike. But did the community that so lauded him also protect and enable him? In the final episode, prominent figures paint a picture of a sector that was well aware of rumours about Wallace years before his victims went to police. They include Tom Sainsbury, who recalls the play he wrote about them in 2008.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Vincenzo Bellini - Norma: Casta Diva
Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème: Musetta's Waltz "Quando m'en vo"
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum No.3 As-dur
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
Jules Massenet - Thaïs: Méditation
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In his first media interview since his convictions, Wallace reiterates his claims of innocence and outlines his next moves - in the legal system and the arts world.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Camille Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals: The Swan
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
Léo Delibes - Lakmé: “Flower Duet”
Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt, The Death of Ase
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber. Benefits include instant, ad-free access to all episodes in this series. You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or click here to listen on other platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Wallace case raised significant questions about the New Zealand justice system. They included the application of name suppression laws, whether sexual assault victims need more support to survive a bruising legal process and the value of character references at sentencing. Letters from more than 80 people helped Wallace get a reduced sentence - but some now regret their support.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major: II. Andante
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor “Moonlight sonata”
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
Jules Massenet - Thaïs: Méditation
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 in G major: Prélude
Frédéric Chopin - Etude Op. 10 No. 3 “Tristesse”
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber. Benefits include instant, ad-free access to all episodes in this series. You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or click here to listen on other platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More than six years passed between Wallace first being charged by police and him losing his fight for name suppression. We chart a legal journey covering multiple trials and appeals, and examine the attempts to silence one of his victims - including the so-called Gold Coast Plot.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 in G major: Prélude
Léo Delibes - Lakmé: “Flower Duet”
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A major: II, Allegretto
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber. Benefits include instant, ad-free access to all episodes in this series. You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or click here to listen on other platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wallace’s world began to crumble after a complaint of indecent assault was made against him in 2016. The first accuser would be joined in court by two more men with similar accounts of what happened at Wallace’s historic mansion, Rannoch House. In a new interview, survivor Dom Shaheen reflects on the ordeal and its long-term impacts.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Johann Sebastian Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 in G major: Prélude
Johann Sebastian Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier: Prelude No. 1 in C major
Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème: Musetta's Waltz "Quando m'en vo"
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A major: II, Allegretto
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber. Benefits include instant, ad-free access to all episodes in this series. You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or click here to listen on other platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Before his criminal convictions became public, James Wallace was best known as a leading businessman who used his fortune to become the most revered philanthropist Aotearoa’s arts world had seen. But how did he reach the heights from which he was to fall?
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Music included in this episode:
Camille Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals: The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem: Lacrimosa
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons: Summer
Jules Massenet - Thaïs: Méditation
Franz Schubert - Ellens Gesang III “Ave Maria”
Franz Lehár - The Merry Widow: Lippen Schweigen
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, which is why we'd love you to support our work by becoming a subscriber. Benefits include instant, ad-free access to all episodes in this series. You can subscribe to Stuff Extra directly in Apple Podcasts, or click here to listen on other platforms.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Once the most revered philanthropist in New Zealand arts, James Wallace’s world started crumbling when a young man accused him of sexual assault. After the emergence of more victims and a six-year legal battle, Wallace was convicted of multiple crimes, no longer able to keep name suppression and stripped of his knighthood. This is the story of his rise and fall, crimes and punishment - and his survivors.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Once the most revered philanthropist in New Zealand arts, James Wallace’s world started crumbling when a young man accused him of sexual assault.
After the emergence of more victims and a six-year legal battle, Wallace was convicted of multiple crimes, no longer able to keep name suppression and stripped of his knighthood.
The case raised major legal questions about the justice system, its treatment of abuse victims and name suppression laws.
It also forced the arts sector to examine whether it had turned a blind eye to Wallace’s offending, in return for millions of dollars worth of patronage.
Featuring new in-depth interviews, including Wallace’s only media interview since conviction, this is the story of his rise and fall, crimes and punishment - and his survivors.
Warning: The Artful Dodger podcast contains references to sexual abuse. Some listeners might find this distressing. Click here for where to get help in New Zealand.
Written, hosted and produced by Kate Langdon and Philippa Tolley. Sound design, audio editing and mixing by Connor Scott. Additional sound recording by John Ropiha. Assistant producer: Jen Black. Visual design: Yasin Karadeniz. Legal: Charlotte Foster. Executive producer: Chris Reed. Special thanks: Catrin Owen, Edward Gay, Matt Slaughter, Elmo Johnstone and Laura Heathcote.
