Roxy Jacenko begs judge not to send her husband Oliver Curtis to jail

ROXY Jacenko, Sydney PR executive and wife of Oliver Curtis, has begged the judge in her husband’s insider trading trial not to send him to jail.

Oliver Curtis, pictured with his wife Roxy Jacenko, was found guilty two weeks ago of a charge of conspiracy to commit insider trading following a high-profile trial. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

ROXY Jacenko, the Sydney PR executive and wife of Oliver Curtis, has begged the judge in her husband’s insider trading trial not to send him to jail.

Earlier this month, Mr Curtis was found guilty of an insider trader scheme worth $1.43 million. He faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $220,000 fine.

Ms Jacenko accompanied her husband to court everyday during his trial and made headlines for her glamorous designer clothing, which she documented on her popular Instagram account.

Now the founder of Sweaty Betty PR has submitted a three-page character reference for her husband to Justice Lucy McCallum, who will sentence Mr Curtis on Friday.

Ms Jacenko says Mr Curtis is the primary carer of their two young children, Pixie, 4, and Hunter, 2, because running her business is a “24 hours, 7 days a week job”.

Oliver Curtis and wife Roxy Jacenko arrive at the Supreme Court in Sydney to wait for the jury's verdict in his trial. Picture: John Grainger

“While I have a team of staff to assist me, I am the face of the business and my clients demand a personal touch,” she wrote. “As a result, I work long hours and ensure I’m contactable by clients at all times.”

Ms Jacenko says Mr Curtis organises all of their children’s meals, gets them ready for school and puts them to bed at night.

“He is generally the one who is home to ensure that they have dinner, are bathed and put to bed, as I am often unable to be relied upon to be home at a regular time to do these things due to the nature of my work.

“Additionally, it is often the case that Pixie and Hunter are looked after by Oli alone on weekends as my job involves weekend work for various client events and clients who require that I am on site during their appearances or events.”

If Mr Curtis was sent to jail, Ms Jacenko said her children would lose the close relationship they have with their father.

“Pixie and Hunter adore their dad. He’s fun, tolerant, uncomplaining and loving,” she wrote.

“They screech with excitement as soon as they see him and then no one else matters to them — not even me. Hunter in particular is a daddy’s boy. He generally won’t eat breakfast unless his dad sits with him of a morning. Hunter and Oli like to do typical childhood things together like building Lego and have a wonderful bond.

“Pixie is also very close to her dad. Oli instantly fell in love with her from birth. He didn’t take his eyes off her for the first few hours, and they’ve retained that bond as she’s grown.

“When Oli is away, Pixie and Hunter both miss him badly and can struggle with eating and sleeping while they’re unsettled.”

Roxy Jacenko with her husband Oliver Curtis and their two-year-old son Hunter.

The family currently employ a nanny, who does not live with them, but she will be unavailable from August. Ms Jacenko’s mother Doreen lives in the same Bondi apartment building as her daughter’s family, and often posts photos of her grandchildren on Instagram.

“My mother Doreen lives in the apartment upstairs and provides our family with support and occasional childcare, when we need it. Live in childcare has not been possible, in part due to our home being a three-bedroom apartment, and in part because of privacy concerns,” Ms Jacenko wrote.

She says the media attention from her husband’s trial has had a negative impact on her business.

“I know I have lost some prospective clients and will continue to do so,” she wrote. “I have also been the target of media and public speculation as to the source of my own wealth, ignoring the fact that I have built up my business from scratch from a time well before I met Oli.

“Oli and I do not have any joint financial interests. We do not have any joint bank accounts.

“I am able to provide financial support to my family entirely. The business that I run and my personal salary are sufficient to ensure the payment of school fees, other expenses (such as the nanny’s salary), rent on our apartment and living expenses such as groceries.

“My work life, and as a result my ability to provide for the family, would be severely impacted should I be unable to maintain the hours I currently work.”

The family’s privacy has been invaded since the guilty verdict, Ms Jacenko says, adding that photographers are often camped outside their Bondi home.

“We have had to take [Pixie and Hunter] to school in alternate cars each morning in an attempt to prevent photographers approaching the cars as we leave.

“We have had to keep the blinds in our apartment permanently down as photographers are able to see straight into our living room.

“Photographers chased Oli through the car park just to get pictures of him. Everyday there is a story about the case in the media. I have seen the impact this had had on Oli and it is wearing him down terribly, particularly because he worries about the effect that this has on us, his family.”

In a separate submission to Justice McCallum, Ms Jacenko’s mother Doreen said Mr Curtis has “suffered greatly” during the trial.

“Oliver is so devoted to his children he is worried for them as they are so young and so attached to him. He has punished himself and will never be in the situation again. He has feelings of great sadness for what this has done to his family and his wife,” she wrote.

Curtis will be sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday.

Originally published as Roxy Jacenko begs judge not to send her husband Oliver Curtis to jail