A novice fisherman who concocted a story about his father dying in a car crash just to get off work has been convicted for dishonesty.
The lie, which prompted his skipper to head for port, caused $170,000 dollars of damages in wages and lost production.
Former fisherman Tyler Stokes said while leaving court "I'd just like to say that I've said sorry for my actions, I'm remorseful, and that's all."
The 20-year-old had only spent four days on a Talley's trawler when he decided to fool his captain.
He claimed a car crash had killed his father and put his mother in intensive care. The company put its fishing operation on hold and headed into port.
Talley's Nelson general manager Tony Hazlett "They actually cost the company $170,000. Forty thousand dollars of that has actually come out of the wages that would have been paid to his crew mates."
Stokes came clean, and was charged with deception in the Christchurch District Court.
His partner Monique Carlaw also faced court, after backing up the lie in a conversation with Talleys.
Stokes is yet to explain why he did it.
"That's just personal, something for me, myself, my partner, other than that, I've got nothing else to say sorry."
In court Judge MacDonald described the case as unusual, saying he'd never seen anything like it before.
In the end he decided to focus on the level of deception - the lie itself, rather than the excessive damages it caused.
The ordeal has forced Talleys to rethink the way it operates.
Mr Hazlett said "What happened with Tyler has meant that when people are making claims we're actually having to second guess them before we make any decisions about what we can do for the crew themselves."
Between them, the pair was ordered to pay just 13 thousand in reparation. They both received community work and Stokes will be under a nine month supervision order.
The judge ruled their income was too low to reasonably attempt to pay the full $170,00 in losses.
Mr Hazlett said "What happened with Tyler has meant that when people are making claims we're actually having to second guess them before we make any decisions about what we can do for the crew themselves."
The consequences of a lie that cost tens of thousands are still being felt today.
Newshub.
