‘Underground Canterbury car dealer’ has charges dismissed after completing diversion

Monday, 27 July 2026

Paul Hoeper (file photo) has two dishonesty charges dismissed at Christchurch District Court on Monday. He used to be a YouTuber and TikToker but has since deleted his videos.

A man once dubbed Canterbury’s “notorious underground car dealer” has had dishonesty charges against him dismissed after completing diversion.

Paul Hoeper appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Monday, where Judge Raoul Neave dismissed two criminal charges - one of theft over $1000 and one of taking or obtaining by deception.

Defence lawyer Kerry Cook told the court Hoeper had successfully completed diversion in relation to the theft charge and applied for both charges to be dismissed. Judge Neave granted the application.

Hoeper came under scrutiny last year after The Press reported on a series of disputes involving Christchurch dealership Affordable Autos, the trading name of MYLL Holdings Ltd. In one case, the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal ordered the dealership to repay Dunedin buyer Dominique Peyroux $7,400 after finding it breached a vehicle sale agreement.

During that hearing, Hoeper sought to represent Affordable Autos as a “self-employed consultant”, but the tribunal declined to allow him to appear on the company's behalf.

Separate tribunal decisions have ordered refunds or compensation in disputes involving vehicles Hoeper was found to have likely sold or companies connected to him. Those proceedings were civil matters.

Away from the courtroom, Hoeper built a sizeable online following through videos featuring Lamborghinis, overseas car meets and high-performance vehicles. In a 2022 episode of New Zealand Today, comedian Guy Williams jokingly introduced him as a 'notorious underground Canterbury car dealer', while Hoeper told the programme he had more than $1 million worth of cars at his property.

Much of Hoeper's online presence disappeared after media attention turned to the vehicle disputes, with his social media accounts and dealership listings later removed.

Diversion is a scheme managed by the Police Prosecution Service (PPS), that provides an alternative to full prosecution for eligible defendants for lower-level offences.

The scheme can typically involve an apology, financial reparation, community work and a restorative justice meeting with the victim.