{"id":11130,"date":"2025-09-09T06:24:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T06:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/11130\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T06:24:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T06:24:06","slug":"pato-alvarez-loses-final-bid-for-name-suppression-after-sex-crime-convictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/11130\/","title":{"rendered":"Pato Alvarez loses final bid for name suppression after sex crime convictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alvarez is the Bay Dreams and One Love founder and former owner, was involved in the failed Juicy Fest<\/a> and Timeless Summer Tour last year and is the promoter for a Snoop Dogg concert in Auckland later this month.<\/p>\n

His victim<\/a>, whose name is suppressed, said Alvarez having name suppression during the past three years felt like her pain had to be hidden too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was expected to carry the weight of what happened in silence, while he was protected from shame or accountability. Now that suppression has been lifted, I feel a sense of relief. Finally, the truth is out in the open.\u201d<\/p>\n

A jury found Alvarez guilty in August 2023 of two of the 25 charges he faced. A majority of the charges alleged sexual assault and drug-related offending. His trial lasted just over three months.<\/p>\n

He was found guilty of the indecent assault and attempted unlawful sexual connection of a woman hired as a babysitter.<\/p>\n

He entered her room about 3am, picked her up out of bed and held her against a wall as he touched her body under her clothing and tried to sexually violate her. <\/p>\n

He stopped when someone entered the room. Alvarez\u2019s pregnant wife was asleep in another room nearby.<\/p>\n

Justice Layne Harvey sentenced Alvarez to 12 months\u2019 home detention<\/a> on November 10, 2023, calling his actions \u201cunjustified\u201d and \u201cunacceptable\u201d. He also declined continued name suppression.<\/p>\n

\"RonRon Mansfield, KC. Photo \/ NZ Herald<\/p>\n

Alvarez\u2019 lawyer, Ron Mansfield, KC, appealed the decision, meaning his client\u2019s name had to remain secret until the appeal was heard.<\/p>\n

That hearing was held 10 months later in September 2024, with the decision to uphold Justice Harvey\u2019s ruling<\/a> released in April. <\/p>\n

Alvarez applied for leave for the Supreme Court<\/a> to hear the case.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Supreme Court judgement means Alvarez cannot appeal any further.<\/p>\n

Mansfield\u2019s grounds were that Alvarez would face undue hardship from social media abuse which would impact him and his business interests and prospects. He pointed to false accusations online including claims his client should be \u201ccancelled\u201d and forced to leave the music industry.<\/p>\n

But the Supreme Court judgement said it was not persuaded and agreed with High Court and Court of Appeal that the grounds \u201csimply did not cross the threshold\u201d of undue hardship.<\/p>\n

More on the Alvarez case<\/p>\n

The three-month trial saw Alvarez plead not guilty to 10 charges of indecent assault, four of sexual violation by rape, three of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, two of attempted sexual violation, two of burglary, one of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, one of supplying MDMA, one of supplying methamphetamine and one of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice. <\/p>\n

Crown Solicitor Anna Pollett presented a case alleging Alvarez had offended against nine women over several years. <\/p>\n

Pollett argued he took advantage of his position in the entertainment industry to get what he wanted sexually from women, even if they said no. <\/p>\n

Pollett said he would use illicit drugs to allow him to have his way with some of the women. <\/p>\n

\"PatoPato Alvarez in 2020. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

Alvarez took the stand for more than six days to give evidence in his defence and admitted a lifestyle of what Mansfield summarised as \u201csex, drugs and rock \u2018n roll\u201d, consuming drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamine and having between 30 and 40 affairs outside his marriage. <\/p>\n

Alvarez\u2019 wife, Monique Lee, who was present during most of the trial supporting her husband, gave evidence she knew her husband was unfaithful and was okay with it as long as he did not have relationships with the women.<\/p>\n

But it was the defence case that Alvarez was \u201cpopular\u201d and did not need to resort to plying women with alcohol and drugs to have sex with them. <\/p>\n

Mansfield argued the case had become a \u201cMeToo fest\u201d to bring down someone successful and popular. <\/p>\n

Alvarez told the jury that since his arrest in 2022, he had got \u201cclean\u201d from drugs.<\/p>\n

The toll on his victim <\/p>\n

His victim said today\u2019s news was a long time coming as she felt the court process was more traumatic than the crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis actions belong to him, not me and it\u2019s no longer something I have to feel forced to protect. For me, it\u2019s not about revenge. It\u2019s about recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the lifting of name suppression acknowledged victims deserved to be heard, and that offenders should be held to the same standard of accountability as anyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis doesn\u2019t erase what happened, but it does make me feel seen. My hope is that by speaking openly, others who are suffering in silence know they\u2019re not alone and that the system will continue to put victims\u2019 voices first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is Pato Alvarez? <\/p>\n

Born in Chile, the trial heard Alvarez is the son of a policeman who was sent to New Zealand by his parents to learn English.<\/p>\n

He went broke but over the years built up his wealth and business connections through music. <\/p>\n

Alvarez told the jury his rags to riches story \u2013 saying while homeless he walked from Pukehina to Te Puke to find work and bought a tent with his last $150 to live in.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t speak English but was hired in a kiwifruit packhouse where he befriended groups of South Americans. They often talked about wanting to hear their Latin music in Tauranga nightclubs.<\/p>\n

He approached a club and asked the owner if he could hold a Latin music party. He was taught himself to DJ in the days leading up to it and was paid $1000. He told the jury that night sparked his interest in music and promoting and he decided, \u201cThat was it, I\u2019m a DJ now\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"PatoPato Alvarez. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Alvarez has been described as one of Australasia\u2019s biggest independent music promoters, involved in more than 200 concerts before his arrest. They included the One Love festivals in New Zealand and Australia, Bay Dreams and festivals including Good Vibes, Soundsplash and Le Currents.<\/p>\n

He worked with acts including Bryan Adams, Cardi B, UB40 feat Ali Campbell, Toto, The Prodigy, Shaggy and Ben Harper.<\/p>\n

He told Stuff he was the contracted promoter for Juicy Fest and the Snoop Dogg one-off concert in Manukau on September 20. The company listed as the promoter for the New Zealand show is NZ Touring & Events, which is run by his wife.<\/p>\n

Liquidators told Stuff they were investigating Alvarez\u2019 involvement in Juicy Fest \u2013 which went bust owing millions.<\/p>\n

Alvarez posted in on his private social media account in April photos of him socialising in Dubai with notorious influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate \u2013 who faced sex trafficking charges in Romania. <\/p>\n

Why was his name secret for so long? <\/p>\n

At last year\u2019s Court of Appeal hearing, Mansfield said Alvarez\u2019 name should remain suppressed because lifting suppression would unleash a social media<\/a> attack likened to \u201cTrump on steroids\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mansfield said Alvarez had already been attacked online. <\/p>\n

Mansfield said suppression would protect him from an anticipated \u201ccampaign\u201d involving misinformation from a particular group online unhappy with the court\u2019s outcome. He said unlike mainstream media, which had a governing body to hear complaints, there was no regulation in the social media space.<\/p>\n

Crown Solicitor Anna Pollett told the hearing other actions could be, and had been, taken against online commenters.<\/p>\n

She said one man was charged with breaching suppression orders relating to this case and was fined $1500 and ordered to do 100 hours of community work. <\/p>\n

Attempted sexual violation carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and indecent assault carries a maximum jail term of seven years.<\/p>\n

More names revealed<\/p>\n

The names of witnesses in Alvarez\u2019 trial, who had also been suppressed until today, can now also be revealed. <\/p>\n

They are Nicholas Mouriri Hamilton Hall and Matthew John Wilding Spratt. <\/p>\n

The name of the One Love festival was also subject to the unsuccessful appeal.<\/p>\n

SEXUAL HARM<\/p>\n

Where to get help:<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk<\/a> confidentially, any time 24\/7:<\/p>\n

Call 0800 044 334Text 4334Email support@safetotalk.nzFor more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz<\/a><\/p>\n

Alternatively contact your local police station –click here for a list.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it\u2019s not your fault.<\/p>\n

Kelly Makiha<\/a> is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alvarez is the Bay Dreams and One Love founder and former owner, was involved in the failed Juicy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11131,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[74,13616,1040,13619,6147,6129,156,5131,9058,5904,2082,2740,1874,3368,13620,11517,157,13617,10136,111,43,139,69,2738,13615,13621,7680,13618,1227],"class_list":["post-11130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-after","tag-alvarez","tag-bid","tag-convictions","tag-crime","tag-crimes","tag-entertainment","tag-festival","tag-figure","tag-final","tag-for","tag-former","tag-found","tag-guilty","tag-leading","tag-loses","tag-music","tag-name","tag-named","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-owner","tag-pato","tag-promoter","tag-sex","tag-suppression","tag-tauranga"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}