Andrew Healey Sentenced to Prison for Five Dunedin Arson Fires
The 49-year-old man was found guilty of five charges related to fires that damaged a former hospital and other properties in the Otago region.
By Malik Salazar ·
Judge David Robinson imposed a prison sentence of four years and six months on Andrew Magnus Healey on Wednesday.
The sentencing took place at the Dunedin District Court, where the judge determined that Healey, 49, presented a continuing risk to the public.
Healey faced five distinct charges stemming from a series of fires that occurred in November 2025. The court accepted his guilt for two counts of arson that endangered human life and three counts of arson against property.
The judge noted that Healey had a long history of criminal behavior and displayed little indication that he intended to change his habits. Although Healey submitted a written expression of regret, Judge Robinson found the letter conflicted with Healey's conduct during the pre-sentence report, where the man downplayed his responsibility for the acts.
The fires began on November 14, 2025, when Healey and two accomplices entered the abandoned Glamis Hospital in Montpellier Street. Healey used an accelerant to ignite discarded items inside the building while an accomplice looked out for witnesses. The group fled without warning nearby residents and observed the flames from a nearby park until fire crews arrived. The same night, the trio set fire to a portable toilet in Ocean Grove, an act recorded by surveillance cameras.
In the following days, the group targeted a building on Harrow Street, which sustained severe damage likely to require demolition. Healey again initiated the fire without notifying neighbors. Later, they attacked 23 Lees Street, a vacant single-story home, by throwing Molotov cocktails. One projectile passed through the front window and ignited the interior, causing structural damage that made demolition probable. Three occupied neighboring houses were at risk during this incident. The next morning, Healey and an accomplice used accelerant and a duct-taped newspaper to start a fire in a wooded area near the Otago Pistol Club. A passing driver spotted the smoke and alerted the fire service, who extinguished the blaze before the trio drove away.
Police arrested Healey at his home on November 19, 2025, after executing a search warrant. The court was informed that Healey had a difficult personal history, including the fact that his brother suffered severe burns in a fire. Judge Robinson acknowledged the trauma of that experience but applied a five percent discount to the sentence for his background, while also citing his numerous previous offenses and lack of clear explanation for the recent crimes. Healey must serve a minimum of two years and three months before becoming eligible for parole.
