Full Breakdown
Theresa Johnson Sentenced for Car Theft and Infant Abandonment in Gisborne
5/6/2026, 11:45:07 AM
The Car Theft and Infant Abandonment
On 6 February of the previous year, 59-year-old Theresa Anne Johnson entered a parked car outside the Golden Crust Bakery on Gladstone Road, Gisborne, while the owners were inside. The vehicle contained a 4-month-old infant in a car seat. Johnson drove off, cut across traffic, turned onto Childers Road, stopped, removed the infant and car seat, placed the baby on the footpath, and fled without contacting the family.
Legal Charges and Prior Offences
Johnson faced charges of abandoning a baby, careless driving, driving while disqualified, theft of a motor vehicle, breach of community work, and theft of clothing worth $1,400. She also faces a charge for stealing a man’s washing from a Hamilton laundromat on 1 July 2025, and has prior convictions for dishonesty, violence and driving offences.
Sentencing Decision and Conditions
Judge Swaran Singh sentenced Johnson to 14 months’ imprisonment, reduced by her 47 days in custody and a plea discount, resulting in eight months’ home detention and nine months of post-detention conditions. She also received a nine-month driving disqualification and a $20-per-week repayment order, with the court noting she has only $85 left after rent.
Personal Circumstances and Mitigating Factors
Counsel Rebecca Senar emphasized Johnson’s “extremely, extremely remorseful” attitude and gratitude that the child was unharmed. Johnson told a pre-sentence report writer she was high on meth at the time, had trauma after her mother’s death, memory loss from a childhood bike accident, and a history of bullying and abuse. She also expressed a desire to start a hairdressing business.
Criticism and Victim Impact
Senar noted the family’s suffering, stating “no amount of remorse is going to take away the hurt that this family have suffered.” The judge’s decision to convert part of the custodial term to home detention was presented as a balance between punitive and rehabilitative aims.
Unreported Details
The sources do not give the exact sentencing date, the value of the stolen washing, or the infant’s parents’ identities, leaving these details unreported.
Key Quotes
- “She is extremely, extremely remorseful and was grateful that no harm was caused to that child on the day in question.” — Rebecca Senar, Counsel for Theresa Johnson
- “There’s no amount of remorse that’s going to take away the hurt that this family have suffered.” — Rebecca Senar, Counsel for Theresa Johnson
- “You have also advised that you were bullied and subjected to abuse.” — Judge Swaran Singh
- “She hopes to set up a hairdressing business.” — Judge Swaran Singh
What Comes Next
Johnson will serve eight months of home detention under supervision, followed by nine months of post-detention conditions, including the driving ban and weekly repayment order, monitored by the court.
