Petrol thief used stolen plates to steal $5000 worth of fuel in exchange for meth from gangs

Author: Al Williams,
Publish Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2026, 2:17pm

Harley James Arps appears for sentencing at the Christchurch District Court. Photo / Al Williams

A persistent petrol thief hasn’t been deterred by jail as he heads back behind bars for a second stretch in 12 months.

Harley James Arps’ latest drive-off spree has earned him 18 months’ imprisonment after he targeted dozens of gas stations across Christchurch.

He filled containers with thousands of dollars worth of stolen petrol to fund his methamphetamine habit.

At sentencing in the Christchurch District Court today, Judge Paul Kellar said the 37-year-old had a significant history of dishonesty, including 42 charges, and was last year sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for another series of petrol thefts.

“You are at high risk of offending and harm to community, you haven’t addressed your offending,” Judge Kellar told Arps as he sent him back to prison today.

“The offending is persistent, premeditated and unsophisticated; it calls for a stern sentence.

“It involves a high number of thefts committed over a period of a few months.”

Arps faced 23 charges of theft and possession of stolen number plates used to facilitate his crimes.

His lawyer Jacob Poff said supervision and home detention sentences had been unsuccessful and suggested a long term of intensive supervision.

The drug addiction issues were long standing as Arps was sentenced for identical circumstances in 2025, Poff said.

“He needs to comply with his sentences and to engage with them.

“His history of breaching conditions is extensive; this is one last opportunity.”

“The underlying issues don’t go away, but one can only use that so many times,” Judge Kellar replied.

Poff said Arps hadn’t been a good role model for his three children and still had $6000 outstanding reparations from his previous offending.

The latest offending, committed between February and April this year amounted to $5000 in stolen petrol.

On 23 occasions, he stole registration plates from vehicles parked around Christchurch and attached them to his own car before driving to gas stations across the city, filling containers with up to $400 in petrol each time, then driving off.

Judge Kellar said Arps stole the fuel in exchange for methamphetamine from gang members “to feed” his addiction.

“You haven’t addressed your offending.”

Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.