All Blacks player smashed car into garage after being told to leave house

All Blacks winger Sevu Reece has avoided a conviction for wilful damage after he drunkenly crashed someone's car into their garage, having been asked to leave their property.

The Crusaders player, who has 32 caps for New Zealand, appeared in Christchurch District Court on Tuesday where a judge ordered him to pay over $2,000 (£930) in reparation and emotional harm.

Following the sentencing, his name suppression was lifted. A spokesperson for New Zealand Rugby stated that they were conducting an "employment process" with Reece in light of the "off-field incident".

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They added: "The details and results of the employment process will remain confidential. We are satisfied Sevu has taken full responsibility for his actions over the past year, shown accountability and made some positive changes to his lifestyle. We also acknowledge the matter has been dealt with by the courts."

Court documents reveal that at around 1.20am on November 15 last year, Reece, 27, was at the victim’s property. After being "disrespectful to other house guests", he was asked to leave.

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He then got into the victim’s Subaru Legacy which was parked in the driveway. Reece told police the car was running when he entered it.

He then sped up the driveway, crashing into the victim’s garage causing "substantial damage" to both the garage and vehicle before leaving the scene on foot.

Reece was charged with taking a car "dishonestly and without claim" but not in circumstances amounting to theft, and intentionally damaging the car owner's garage door after the incident on November 15, 2023. Police later reduced the charge to a single count of wilful damage, which Reece admitted.

Outside the court, Reece expressed deep regret for his actions and extended an apology to the victim. "Lots of positives have come out of this as well. Lots of things that I’m working on as well. I'm am just so so sorry to the family and to the fans, "he said.

He revealed that he had been sober for over a year and was thinking more clearly. He saw no reason to hide behind name suppression, adding: "This is a good story in a way people could learn from the things from some of my actions. I think it was a great idea to take name suppression off and face it."

He also said he takes his responsibility of being a role model seriously, expressing disappointment in himself for letting down those who look up to him.

"I feel like I’ve let them down. They look up to me. I can only make things right from here in my actions moving on," he added.

Police prosecutor Jade Lancaster referred to the incident as "low-level offending", but suggested that any potential consequences for Reece were "speculative". She highlighted a previous offence from 2018, when Reece was discharged without conviction for assaulting his girlfriend.

"This is a case he’s already had the consequences of his intoxicated behaviour made clear to him in the past and committed more offending while intoxicated," Lancaster said. "It’s not in the public interest for the court to continue to grant discharges without conviction. A conviction is appropriate."

Reece's lawyer, Liz Bulger, said there was still a potential New Zealand Rugby sanction "hanging over his head".

"There could be a significant penalty for him," she said. "There are consequences which New Zealand Rugby are able to impose... he doesn’t really have any idea what that could look like."

Reece had been attending AA, and working hard in a bid to "turn those things around". The judge described Reece as "unlikely to reoffend," and "genuinely remorseful". He had already made donations to charities KidsCan and Ronald McDonald House.

The judge categorised the offence as being in the "low category" and Reece was discharged without conviction.