Fake gas fitter John Arthur faces $8000 fine for risking life in Whangarei

“Completely dishonest”

In late 2022, Arthur was referred to the McKean family for gas fitting work on their home bus installing a gas water heater.

It was sent to them by another unsuspecting family, who showed them its apparent certificate of conformity dated 2022 and a plastic gas fitter registration document bearing the number 143660, expiring in 2024.

“But it was completely dishonest because they were not valid registration numbers for a licensed gas fitter,” Judge Rzepecky said.

Arthur demanded $1,300 from the McKeans, which was paid, then spent several days in November and December installing the water heater behind a removable exterior panel.

A few days later, the board emailed Arthur to inform him that he was not authorized to carry out gas fitting work, but he continued his work anyway.

The McKeans paid Arthur an additional $500 upon completion of the work, but after two days the device stopped working.

Arthur told the family he would leave a certificate of compliance in their mailbox, but it never arrived.

The McKeans hired another gas fitter to repair the broken appliance and the contractor was so concerned about the quality of the work that he contacted the commission in June 2023.

A council advisor examined the work and found there was a risk of gas build-up in the enclosure near the water heater as well as a risk of complete combustion and fire.

“The expert says the risk of explosion is high,” Judge Rzepecky said.

“They were probably lucky that this installation failed because it was life-threatening.”

Around the same time Arthur was doing work on the McKeans’ home bus, he was also talking with another person he found on an RV group on Facebook.

He offered to complete the work for $1,800 and the woman paid $1,000 up front.

“She specifically asked you if you had the qualifications to sign and you responded that you had been doing so since 1982. That was also not accurate,” Judge Rzepecky said.

Arthur carried out gas connection work on her domestic bus and when he left the premises, she noticed that the work was incomplete and called in a professional.

This professional found that the work was dangerous, non-compliant and required complete removal.

Arthur’s final victim was the board of directors of Tūtūkākā Marina, where he attended a meeting and offered his services to boating customers.

Arthur told the marina board he was a registered gas fitter with extensive experience and had inspected a yacht moored on site.

Arthur provided the marina with a gas fitting inspection sheet and a false gas fitting registration number. But when questioned by the gas installations committee, he informed the marina that he was not authorized to carry out any work.

Tūtūkākā Marina then removed Arthur from the site and charges were laid.

Arthur pleaded not guilty to the charges and on the day of the judge-alone trial scheduled for August this year, witnesses arrived in court to give evidence, but Arthur did not show up until the afternoon.

When he arrived, he changed his plea to guilty.

The court heard Arthur told the pre-sentence report writers that the problem was not him, but the act that was problematic and that he would continue to share his knowledge in the area.

“He told the pre-sentence report writers that he was a qualified automobile fuel fitter. There were no qualifications in 1985 for an automobile gas fitter, so I’m not sure what he is referring to, as he was never qualified under current law.

“It’s not a question of excess. He is clearly not competent to do the job,” gas fittings council lawyer Abigail Stuart said.

Arthur’s lawyer, Jarred Scott, said his client had written to the Energy Minister to explain how effective the rules were for motorhomes and boats.

“He has a different point of view”

“Given the evidence and the manner in which the installation was carried out and the works which had to be carried out, you cannot say that there is anything wrong with the statutory scheme and it deserves some credit for that? It’s unrealistic and almost grandiose,” Judge Rzepecky told Scott.

“He has a different point of view. He thinks the regulations on gas fittings should be different (for RVs) because they are not fixed, they move,” Scott submitted.

Arthur tried to argue that he did not have the financial means to pay a fine, but Judge Rzpecky said the information was only provided to the court at the eleventh hour and sentenced him to a fine of $8,000.

Judge Rzpecky also ordered Arthur to pay $2,800 in restitution and $699 in prosecution costs.

“I hope you will take these lawsuits seriously and refrain from doing any gas work.” »

“Little respect for public safety”

Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainers Council chief executive Aleyna Hall told NZME unlicensed gas fitting work posed serious risks.

“The potential effects of Arthur’s gas installation work on the Whangarei campervan could have been devastating.

“Despite being warned, he continued to carry out dangerous gas fitting work, without regard for the safety of the public. »

The $8,000 fine imposed is the largest this year for this type of offense and sends a strong message, she said.

This is the sixth conviction handed down by the commission in the last six months resulting in convictions for unauthorized installers.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangarei-based reporter for Open Justice covering the courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for five years. She joined the NZME in 2023.