A former marketing consultant for BMW has been found guilty of a sustained campaign of harassment against his neighbours over a four-year period.
German national Hannes Meyer, 79, of Foxhill, Lowertown, Schull, was charged with the harassment of his neighbours Deirdre and William Phillips in Schull between July 29th, 2017 and August 7th, 2021. Mr Meyer denied the charges. The case was heard by Judge James McNulty in three sittings at Bantry, Skibbereen, and Clonakilty district courts in recent weeks.
Prosecuting, Inspector Emmet Daly outlined the case against Mr Meyer. The court heard that the Phillips couple had bought their property in Schull in 2004 from Mr Meyer and his then wife who were selling it as part of a separation agreement.
The house and some land was sold to the Phillips while Mr Meyer retained about one third of the land himself. Mr Meyer went to Germany after the sale to raise his two children and did not return to Ireland until 2017.
The Phillipses, who live in Bath, England, used the house as a holiday home without incident for 13 years until Mr Meyer returned to Ireland. Giving evidence to the court, the couple outlined numerous incidents of harassment by Mr Meyer towards them between 2017 and 2021.
The court heard that Mr Meyer believed that the boundaries between his property and theirs were incorrect, despite the boundaries being consistent with land registry records, and verified by an independent
engineer.
The campaign of harassment began with emails from Mr Meyer insisting that the property boundaries were wrong. He also called to the Phillipses and demanded that they agree to a new boundary. In 2018 when Mr Phillips told Mr Meyer that the only way to sort out the issue would be via legal professionals, Mr Meyer told him: ‘I will fight you, I will get my big guns out.’
The Phillipses said that Mr Meyer’s behaviour became increasing aggressive and they were fearful for their safety. The couple said that Mr Meyer would stand on the edge of the property in an ‘intimidating manner’ and demanded that Mr Phillips discuss the issue with him ‘over a bottle of whiskey’.
In 2020, Mr Meyer erected a notice outside the Phillips house which accused them of stealing his property and engaging in ‘criminal’ behaviour. Also in 2020, he erected a large flagpole on his property which partially obstructed the Phillipses’ sea view and proceeded to raise the Irish tricolour on a regular basis. In an email in February 2020, Mr Meyer stated that the communication was his ‘last attempt to reach a solution by peaceful means’.
When Mr Meyer applied to Cork County Council for an extension to a planning permission he had been granted, he included allegations of land-grabbing about the Phillipses in the application. The application was published on the council’s website and was only removed when the Phillipses were told about it and complained. The court also heard that when Mr Phillips and his son were visiting the local recycling centre, Mr Meyer approached them and was ‘frightening in his manner and demeanour’ towards them.
In total, the court heard of 16 separate incidents that included Mr Meyer burning rubbish deliberately while the Phillips were in their garden, allowing his dog to defecate in their garden, throwing rubbish in their garden, and staring at them through windows and across the boundary between their properties.
Mr Meyer denied he had harassed the Phillips and denied that some of the incidents had occurred. He did tell the court: ‘I wanted to give them a push so they would sue me.’
Defence solicitor Killian McCarthy said that Mr Meyer was now a different man and his partner of five years was in a nursing home, suffering from aggressive cancer. He asked Judge McNulty to consider suspending any custodial sentence considering Mr Meyer’s age, and the fact he had no previous convictions.
Judge James McNulty said that it was ‘extremely significant’ that Mr Meyer did not respond, or rebut two solicitors, letters that were sent to him by the Phillipses. He said: ‘Taken in isolation, any one of these events might not be significant, but they are the strands and cords that go to make up a rope. It’s clear to this court that all of these incidents bound together are sufficient to bear the weight of evidence and convict.
‘This is at the top of the scale, it is not momentary, he created for his neighbours a living nightmare. What could be sweeter than a holiday home in West Cork? Unless you are living next door to Hannes Meyer.’
He sentenced Hannes Meyer to six months in prison but suspended the sentence for two years, subject to conditions that he be of good behaviour, keep the peace, and does not interfere with the Phillipses, or their property, or cause damage to their reputation and that he takes down the flagpole. He was also placed on a €40,000 good behaviour bond for two years.
