Love/Hate actor has €60k claim thrown out over Facebook posts

Ballymun man Daniel 'Dano' Doyle (31) was jailed for one year earlier this month for possession of drugs for sale or supply at his home on November 12, 2014.

He was busted by gardai with 446 small tablets and a money bag of around €600 cash.

The tablets were analysed and identified as MDMA.

Gardai also found drug paraphernalia, including syringes and weighing scales, in a safe in Doyle's bedroom.

Cash totalling €340 was also found in the bedroom and €2,800 was found elsewhere.

Handcuffs

While Doyle's appearance in court on February 9 led him to be jailed at Dublin Circuit Court, the Ballymun dealer's luck got even worse last Wednesday, when he appeared before the High Court after being transferred to the Four Courts in a prison van.

Doyle, who attended court in handcuffs and accompanied by prison officers, had alleged he was seriously injured in a rear-ending accident, in which he claimed his neck and back had been hurt to such an extent that he was unable to lift his child.

The keen bodybuilder also told Mr Justice Anthony Barr that he had been left with crippling pain so severe that he frequently would be confined, crying, to his bed.

When cross-examined by Paul Murray SC, counsel for the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), about certain postings he had made on social media, Doyle consented to his claim against an uninsured driver and the MIBI being dismissed by the court.

Mr Murray had begun to present Doyle in the witness box with a file of postings about his life which he had made on Facebook and other media.

In one posting, Mr Murray pointed out to Doyle that he had been photographed carrying an adult man on his back at a time when he said he had been unable to lift his child.

Following brief talks between the parties, Doyle consented to his claim being dismissed.

Doyle had shunned taking his claim to the Circuit Court, which can award a maximum €60,000 damages for personal injuries.

The High Court is not limited in the amount of damages it can award to an injured party.

Following the case, Doyle was taken in handcuffs from the Four Courts building and driven back to jail.

Because of standard remission, Doyle will be back on the streets in November.

A senior source told the Herald that the case shows that "the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland has expressed its intent to vigorously challenge cases where they consider there may be a possibility of misleading evidence being presented to the courts".

Doyle appeared in the fifth series of smash-hit crime drama Love/Hate.

Earlier this month, Doyle pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for sale or supply at his home on November 12, 2014.

Warrant

Detective Garda Ronan McMorrow told the court that gardai obtained a warrant to search the house after a reliable source provided information about cocaine dealing at the address.

Doyle answered the door of his home and told gardai he knew why they were there.

He handed over a bundle of €985 from his pocket.

Doyle told gardai the cash had come from the recent sale of a car but Det Gda McMorrow said gardai did not accept this.

The court heard that this money may be the subject of a "police property" application.

Doyle has 35 previous convictions, including three convictions for drug dealing.

He also has two convictions for threatening to kill or cause serious harm.