Evidence from man banned for Offaly offence likened to The Traitors

JUDGE Andrew Cody said a Dublin man's construction of a “tissue of lies” reminded him of The Traitors TV show.

Michael Hanley (37), failed in his bid to set aside a conviction which resulted in him being disqualified from driving for a year for a motoring offence detected by Offaly-based Garda Garry Martin.

Mr Hanley, who said his job was at risk because of the driving ban, argued that he had not received a summons because he was not living at the address where it was served.

Judge Cody said court rules permit service of such a summons at the “last known residence or most usual place of abode of an accused” and it can be delivered to a civil partner of the accused, or the person in charge of the house where the accused resides.

He said the only issue to be determined was whether or not 389 Iveagh Buildings, where the summons was served, was Mr Hanley’s residence at the time.

Judge Cody rejected the application and delivered his judgment on the matter when it came before him for a third time last week, following initial hearings on September 16 and 23.

“Anyone who has been present over the 16th and 23rd of September and today will be forgiven for for believing they were watching episodes of the popular TV programme The Traitors,” said the judge.

“The Traitors construct false accounts, conceal important information and adapt their stories when challenged. Their objective is to persuade others to accept a version of events that they know is untrue. The game depends upon their ability to maintain that deception without being exposed.”

He said Mr Hanley had presented different versions of reality depending on the circumstances, “much like a Traitor changing their story to avoid detection”.

“The programme is built around contestants trying to determine who is telling the truth and who is constructing a false narrative. A court must perform a similar assessment, but with evidence, legal standards and consequences that are entirely different.”

Mr Hanley had been convicted and disqualified in his absence at Tullamore District Court on July 20 last and he said he only found out about it from a garda when he was in court in Dublin on September 4.

Judge Cody was told by Sergeant Brendan Kearns, court presenter, that the summons had been served on Megan McEnroe on February 16, 2025 at 389 Block R, Iveagh Trust, Kevin Street, Dublin 8.

That was accepted by Mr Hanley but he contended he did not live at that address and instead resided at 10 McKee Park, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7.

However, Judge Cody pointed out that Mr Hanley had said himself when he first made his application on September 16 that he had motor insurance which stated his address was 389 Block R, Iveagh Trust and that he lived at “389 Iveagh Trust, Bride Street”.

When the matter came before the court again on September 23 Mr Hanley said he “never” lived at Iveagh Trust and gave his residence as 10 McKee Park.

Mr Hanley said that though Megan McEnroe was the mother of his child his relationship with her was “complicated” and was “on and off”.

He did say he had a car parked at her address but it was a car he had bought Ms McEnroe “for her birthday” and he had been in drug treatment when the summons was served on her.

“I'm wrongly disqualified from driving. I'm at risk of losing my job here. I can't feed my family, I haven't worked since the fourth of September,” said Mr Hanley.

While Mr Hanley said he was not living at 389 Iveagh Trust on February 16, the gardai produced evidence of one of his Instagram posts from two days before, Valentine's Day, which said: “Happy Valentines Megan McEnroe thanks for absolutely everything you do for me in love and adore you so much. I love you today tomorrow forever”.

The judge said that post clearly exposed the untruthfulness of Mr Hanley’s evidence and demonstrated beyond any shadow of a doubt that McEnroe and Mr Hanley were in a committed long-term relationship.

“I find that [post] totally inconsistent with the applicant’s evidence,” said the judge.

He also noted that both Mr Hanley and Ms McEnroe changed the status of their Instagram accounts to “totally private” during the hearing which was taking place on September 23 last.

There was evidence from the guard who served the summons, Garda Fiona Byrne, that her interaction with Megan McEnroe was cordial and there was no suggestion that Mr Hanley did not reside there.

Garda Jason Sheehy gave evidence that when he stopped Mr Hanley seven months later he gave his address as 389 Iveagh Trust and another guard, Garda Colm Fagan, said the man often parked vehicles nearby in a place called the “cabbage patch” and Mr Hanley would appear “within minutes” pleading with the guards not to issue a ticket.

Refusing to set aside the conviction and court order, Judge Cody said: “I am satisfied that the applicant resided at the Iveagh Trust address at the relevant time and that Megan McEnroe was a person residing there with him.”

(Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme)