Second Final Warning: Thomas Hey Avoids Jail and Disqualification After Stealing Tradies Vehicles and Tools To Support His Rehab; Thousands of Dollars Lost.

Read and subscribe to The New Zealand Reporter. Keeping You Informed on 6 May 2026. Corrected on 7 May 2026.

A 32-year-old Christchurch man Thomas James Hey has avoided jail and being disqualified from driving, after he stole 4 vehicles. This included stealing 2 tradies’ vehicles and all their tools. Police have not recovered the work vehicles or the tools.

The judge dismissed the prospect of restorative justice working in this case. He did not believe the affected tradespeople wanted an apology from Hey. “They would have wanted their tools back,” he remarked.

Instead the District Court judge sentenced Hey to 22 months community detention and 6 months post-sentence conditions. Hey also will only have to pay back $1,000 to two of his four victims - a fraction of their losses.

Hey was also issued with his second “final warning” by a judge. He was jailed in 2024 for unlawfully interfering with a motor vehicle. It is likely then that the judge issued him with his first warning.

He also committed at the latest vehicle thefts when he was out on bail.

This Round of Offending

Hey stole 3 vehicles between January and March 2025. They included one trades vehicles. The other vehicles were found. In November last year, he stole a second trades’ vehicle. Police pursued Hey. He fled and didn’t stop for the patrol car’s lights.

Police found Hey. The found scissor blades and a screwdriver.

Hey has never served time in jail.

In 2003 Hey stole 3 vehicles. He received a community work sentence. In 2004 he unlawfully interfered with a vehicle. He received community detention. As for other “significant offending”, Hey had been required to pay reparations for driving while suspended and community work for a breach of some kind.

The Police prosecutor recommended jail. The tradies’ total loss ranged between $11,891.13 and $12,891.13. The prosecutor asked for $5671.39. She also asked the judge to disqualify Hey from driving. she could not tell The NZR how much reparations he already owes.

Hey’s lawyer asked for a 2-year starting point. She also asked for an uplift for his earlier dishonesty crimes and committing the latest theft on bail and a 20% discount for his guilty plea.