Five-year prison term for man behind five Dunedin fires

Dunedin residents saw five separate fires burn through the city in late November 2025. A court on Wednesday determined that one of the people responsible has been sent to prison.

Andrew Magnus Healey, 49, received a sentence of four years and six months at the Dunedin District Court. Judge David Robinson imposed a minimum non-parole period of two years and three months. The judge cited Healey’s entrenched history of offending as a primary factor in the length of the term.

Healey pleaded guilty to two counts of arson involving danger to life and three counts of arson involving property. He and two accomplices committed the crimes under cover of darkness. The group used Healey’s car to travel between locations, although Healey was not the driver during the initial incident.

The first fire occurred on November 14, 2025, at the derelict Glamis Hospital on Montpellier Street. An accomplice acted as a lookout while Healey set fire to discarded items using accelerant and a lighter. The trio fled the scene without alerting neighbors. They drove to Tomahawk Road in Ocean Grove, where Healey set fire to a portable toilet. CCTV captured the event and their escape.

Two days later, the group set fire to a building on Harrow Street. The damage was severe enough that demolition was the likely outcome. Healey instigated this fire and again did not inform neighbors of the risk. The trio then drove to 23 Lees Street, a single-story house that was unoccupied at the time. Three neighboring properties were occupied. Healey and another accomplice threw three Molotov cocktails at the building. One bounced off, while another went through a front window and ignited. They drove to Kensington Oval to watch the fire from a distance.

Fire crews found significant structural damage at the Lees Street property. Demolition was also likely in that case. On the morning of that fire, the group drove to a car park near the Otago Pistol Club. Healey and an accomplice walked into a wooded area and set fire to trees and vegetation. Healey used accelerant and a rolled-up newspaper wrapped in black duct tape. A passing driver alerted the fire service, and crews extinguished the blaze. The trio had driven away by the time crews arrived.

Healey was arrested at his home on November 19, 2025, following the execution of a search warrant. The court heard about his troubled background, including an incident where his brother was badly burnt in a fire. Judge Robinson acknowledged the trauma of that event. He granted Healey a 5% discount for his background but noted the absence of an explanation for his multiple offences.

The judge found Healey’s written letter of remorse inconsistent with his behavior during the pre-sentence report. In that report, Healey minimized his culpability. Judge Robinson stated that Healey showed little motivation for behavioral change and still poses a risk to the community.

The sentence reflects the judge’s view that Healey’s actions demonstrated a pattern of behavior that required a custodial response to protect the public.