R v McLachlan: Paul Shanahan's list of lies
Paul Shanahan and his wife Mary moving into their new home at Trevally Place, Snells Beach, on 29 July 2018.
Note his distinctive prescription glasses. Source: Facebook.
Paul Shanahan tried to be more than the star witness. Here are some of the lies that he said while under oath in court.
Lying while giving evidence under oath is a crime. The Crimes Act 1961 states:
Lying in a police statement is a crime:
Convincing others to lie is also a crime:
Paul Shanahan was a committee member of the Snells Beach Ratepayers' and Residents Association (SBRRA) between 7 July 2020 until 17 May 2022. He was also a well known member of the bird lobby and vigilante. His animosity towards me was well known. Yet, his statements to Warkworth Police and his sworn evidence given in court contradict this.
Being on the SBRRA Committee
On 7 February 2024, in the Auckland District Court, Paul Shanahan was cross examined. Under oath, he gave the following evidence:
There are five claims by Paul Shanahan:
That he was on the SBRRA committee for 12 months;
That he was never on the SBRRA committee while Diane Taylor was on it;
He left because of a "serious cancer issue in our household and [he] needed to give time and attention to that";
That he was "subsequently" aware of articles I had published about the SBRRA; and
That he "wasn't active at" the time of the funding for "signage around the dotterels."
Here is Paul Shanahan standing to speak in favour of his nomination as Treasurer at the 2020 SBRRA Annual General Meeting:
Here is an extract from the minutes of the AGM:
The following year, I attended the 2021 AGM. Here are extracts from the minutes:
So, Paul Shanahan was on the committee for two years and did serve on the committee alongside Diane Taylor. That's two lies so far.
Prior to that AGM, the SBRRA published the following post on its Facebook profile:
So, despite a "serious cancer scare" and announcing that he was stepping down from the committee, Paul Shanahan decided to continue for another year. That's three lies.
I wrote an article about the shenanigans at the AGM. Paul Shanahan and Diane Taylor were elected in dubious circumstances that were obviously designed to counter me being elected to the SBBRA committee. I even wrote an article about it. Paul Shanahan even discussed the article with his neighbours. That's four lies.
By the way, Paul's wife wasn't miraculously cured between Thursday and Monday. Paul Shanahan obviously felt that he "needed to give time and attention" to prevent me from being on the committee. In other words, I posed a threat to their agenda.
Finally, Paul Shanahan was involved with a SBRRA committee meeting on 16 September 2021 where the costings and application for council funding for signage about shorebirds was finalised, quoting the cost of each panel at $340 each. That's five lies.
I had already published an article exposing SBRRA corruption in May 2021. Between 16 September and 3 December 2021, I posed a threat to their application for council funding. That's called motive.
Trying to defraud Auckland Council of $6000
The application for a council grant of $6000 was to go towards six information panels about shorebirds to be installed along the Snells Beach esplanade. I obtained a copy of the application, discovered that it was trying to defraud the council of $6000, and alerted councillors. The application was declined:
Being part of the bird lobby
Here are just a few social media posts and comments from Paul Shanahan.
Martins Bay resident Michele MacKenzie is a self-anointed ringleader of the Snells Beach bird lobby. It was Michele who promoted herself as a bird photographer and pressured the council to impose dog bans. In response to a Facebook post from Michele on 24 December 2019, Paul Shanahan commented:
After becoming Treasurer of the SBRRA, Paul Shanahan posted this to Facebook:
Then came this comment:
So, what was his state of mind during the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown during September 2021?
Being a vigilante
Throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns, Paul Shanahan's state of mind wasn't just focused on shorebirds. He had vigilante instincts. Patrolling the full length of Snells Beach, here is a post from only days into the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020:
While Shanahan was painting birds and the SBRAA was applying for council funding, what was Paul's state of mind on the evening of 17 September 2021?
Hours prior to Paul Shanahan's post, I posted this to a Snells Beach Facebook group:
The article 'Eco-terrorism Snells Beach style', however, didn't mention Paul Shanahan. It did, however, mention Diane Taylor and SBRRA founder and head vigilante, June Turner.
Malice towards Grant McLachlan
The following day, 18 September 2021, Lorraine Martin left Diane Taylor's home and followed me. In her 111 call, she said that she planned to take photos of people not wearing masks and dogs not on a leash. She claimed that her plan was to send photos to the Mahurangi Matters community newspaper. No article eventuated.
The only two people on the esplanade that day wearing masks were Lorraine Martin and Paul Shanahan. They wore identical masks. Days later, they were seen walking along the esplanade towards Diane Taylor's home not wearing masks.
I was recovering from a respiratory operation, so wearing a mask restricted my breathing. Diane Taylor knew that. I walked past her home as many as six times each day for the previous month with bandages in the middle of my face.
I was assaulted by Lorraine Martin. She targeted my nose with her camera. I photographed it. Despite Lorraine wearing a mask and heavy concealer, in the photos that I took showed existing bruises on her hand and face.
After I left the scene to call the police, Paul Shanahan approached a group of dogwalkers to change the narrative that I had attacked Lorraine Martin.
Under cross examination, Paul Shanahan was asked:
I had never engaged in conversation with Paul Shanahan, and vice versa. Paul Shanahan had so much malice towards me that he prioritised keeping me out of SBRRA matters over caring for his wife sick with cancer. That was lie number six. Furthermore, on the evening of 17 September 2021, his mood was aggressive and was motivated by vengeance.
The star witness
The following evidence demonstrates that Paul Shanahan wanted to be more than just a witness in the prosecution of me. He wanted to give evidence that he saw things he didn't witness and also convinced others to give evidence against me.
Here is Paul Shanahan giving evidence under oath in response to examination by the Crown Prosecutor:
There are several claims by Paul Shanahan in his evidence:
That Paul Shanahan tried to initiate a discussion with me;
That Paul Shanahan "intervened" to get Lorraine Martin's camera back;
That Paul Shanahan initiated a conversation with Lorraine Martin;
That Lorraine Martin told Paul Shanahan that she took photos of my dog; and
That Paul Shanahan then said that the conversation didn't contain any more detail.
Paul Shanahan swore in his police statement:
Paul Shanahan claimed that he tried to intervene in the altercation between Lorraine Martin and I and then asked me to return the camera. According to the other witnesses, Paul Shanahan wasn't even present.
John Keast swore in his police statement:
So, after I left the scene, Paul Shanahan approached the group, asked the group first what they had seen, and then he told the group what he claimed he saw.
Jason Marshall swore in his police statement:
In court while giving evidence under examination from the Crown Prosecutor, Marshall reiterated:
Marshall repeated:
Let's show this on a map. In position 'A' is where Paul Shanahan claimed that he was standing when he saw me 'round house' Lorraine Martin. Position 'B' is where I photographed Lorraine Martin hit me with her camera. Position 'C' is where Lorraine Martin threw her camera at my face. Position 'D' is where John Keast and Jason Marshall saw Paul Shanahan running from the beach. I walked on the footpath from 'B' to 'C' to 'B' and back to 'C' without passing Paul Shanahan.
Prior to Paul Shanahan turning up, what did the group do? John Keast said in his sworn police statement:
Jason Marshall also said in his sworn police statement:
Corrine Keast said in her sworn police statement:
So, prior to Paul Shanahan turning up, they thought that Lorraine Martin was one of June Turner's vigilantes who attacked me. They must have thought that Lorraine Martin was lying because they later took the camera to June Turner's home afterwards.
After Lorraine Martin lied to the group, Paul Shanahan turned up, waited for the group's observations, and then pushed the narrative that I "round house" hit Lorraine Martin. It was only after Paul Shanahan had convinced the group that I had attacked Lorraine Martin did Lorraine Martin go along with Paul Shanahan's narrative and claim to be the victim of an attack and robbery.
I was away for five minutes talking to a police officer on the phone. That's a long time to not discuss what happened "in any detail." So, that's eleven lies.
After the incidents involving Lorraine Martin, I didn't recognise Paul Shanahan. He wasn't wearing his distinctive glasses. I asked him who he was. He wouldn't say. I asked him what he saw. He replied that he "saw everything."
Shanahan had painted himself into a corner. Here is what Paul Shanahan claimed in his sworn police statement:
Lorraine Martin claimed that I slapped her in the face to the left of her nose. That means that I would have needed to hit her with my right hand. But I am left handed and my right hand was holding my phone and taking photos at the same time. Lorraine Martin was shown a defence exhibit which demonstrated that I used my right hand to take photos of her.
When Shanahan entered the courtroom, he passed me as I was recording notes with my left hand. Nonetheless, this didn't deter Paul Shanahan from adapting his story again:
That's twelve lies.
Paul Shanahan then lied about the altercation being 10 metres away:
That's thirteen lies.
Prior to taking the stand, Paul Shanahan was not to be shown the defence exhibits or discuss any evidence submitted to the court, especially the photos that I took. In his police statement, Paul Shanahan said that he was standing on the beach at the entrance to the reserve ('A' in the map below) and claimed that the altercation happened 10 metres away, which was where Maggie was tied up ('B'). Under cross examination, however, when handed a map of the area, he changed his story to then claim that the altercation happened precisely where I took photos of Lorraine Martin hitting me ('C'):
Here are examples of the area that Paul Shanahan and the sailors were standing near the high tide mark:
This was his view. In the photos that I took of Lorraine Martin, it was after 5pm and the shadows were long. On a sunny cloudless day, Paul Shanahan would have been looking directly into the sun with the dunes and a large Pohutukawa tree obscuring his view of Lorraine Martin and I:
The altercations between Lorraine Martin and I occurred on the esplanade reserve. From 40 metres away, Paul Shanahan didn't intervene. The other witnesses said that he appeared from the beach 100 metres away. Anything else?
Fourteen lies now.
Under cross examination, when shown photographs of Lorraine Martin charging at me and assaulting me, he kept to his narrative:
How can Lorraine Martin take of photo of me if the camera is off and she's holding it like a tomahawk above her head?
Defence Exhibit - Photograph Number 4.
That's fifteen lies. According to the timestamps of the photos taken and my phone logs, there was at least 3 minutes and 3 seconds between when Lorraine Martin attacked me and when Paul Shanahan approached the group to push his narrative. He was in no hurry to cover a distance of less than 100 metres. He didn't come to Lorraine Martin's rescue. He didn't chase me. He didn't intervene. He lurked. He waited until I left. And then he lied.
Paul Shanahan's draft police statement was so brief that Constable Fairbrass provided blanks for him to fill in. In his sworn police statement, he filled in the blanks with evidence that proved to be lies. Immediately after Fairbrass took the Keast's statements, Fairbrass visited Shanahan and several paragraphs were added to his statement describing other things that other witnesses claimed to have seen but he couldn't have seen. This is covered in this article about how Fairbrass stitched together evidence. Paul Shanahan's statement became a composite of all the other witnesses he sold his narrative to.
Take Paul Shanahan out of the equation and the whole situation would have been very different. Remember, the group thought that Lorraine Martin was the aggressor. Paul Shanahan tried to not only be the star witness but also make sure that other witnesses kept to his narrative.
Lying about his social media activity
Paul Shanahan tried so hard to appear as a reliable and independent witness that he was prepared to lie under oath. He lied about things he didn't need to lie about:
Straight after the police visited Paul Shanahan's home, he gloated to his neighbours on WhatsApp:
Paul Shanahan later deleted his comments from the WhatsApp group, but not before I was alerted to it. In June 2023, Paul Shanahan locked his Facebook profile, preventing anyone from seeing the posts I had already documented.
What was he thinking?
The conspiracy
When cross examined, Paul Shanahan's bias was questioned:
The police visited Diane Taylor's home to take Lorraine Martin's statement. Lorraine Martin's son was a senior police manager for over 27 years. Diane was the co-ordinator of volunteers at the local police station. Then the police visited Paul Shanahan's home. Based on the information collected at the homes of two SBRRA committee members, the police were prepared to arrest me before they'd recovered the camera from June Turner's home.
Lorraine Martin and Paul Shanahan both claimed to not know each other, claiming to have exchanged details following the incident between Lorraine Martin and I. The two didn't exchange details with others in the group.
There was just one problem. Lorraine Martin, Paul Shanahan, and Constable Fairbrass had different accounts of how that exchange of details occurred.
In Constable Fairbrass' notebook, she didn't record how Lorraine Martin knew Paul Shanahan's details. In their police statements, Lorraine Martin and Paul Shanahan didn't describe how the exchange occurred. No one else in the group mentioned witnessing Lorraine Martin and Paul Shanahan exchanging details.
Under oath, here is what Lorraine Martin said:
Here is what Paul Shanahan said:
And Constable Fairbrass:
So, let's summarise:
Constable Fairbrass said that Lorraine Martin gave her a note;
Lorraine Martin said that Diane Taylor gave Constable Fairbrass the note; and
Paul Shanahan said that he didn't give Lorraine Martin a note.
Lorraine Martin's version of events heavily relied on Paul Shanahan's narrative, referring to him repeatedly in her 111 call:
According to the police statements, Lorraine Martin fled the scene to Diane Taylor's just as Corrine Keast tried to return the camera to Lorraine Martin. Paul Shanahan didn't escort Lorraine Martin to Diane Taylor's. He didn't offer to take her to his home, which was closer than Diane Taylor's. Instead, Paul Shanahan hung around and controlled the narrative of the conversation between me and the Keasts and Marshalls until I left.
Jason Marshall's son then tried to return the camera to Lorraine Martin but Lorraine Martin didn't want it back. When the son returned, even though Paul Shanahan claimed to have exchanged details with Lorraine Martin, he didn't offer to return the camera to her. Instead, John Keast offered to take the camera to June Turner.
At the end of the first day of the trial, Lorraine Martin was still under oath, was to return the next day of the trial to continue her cross examination, and was instructed to not discuss the trial with other witnesses. As she left the courtroom, she asked Constable Fairbrass "Where's Paul?" Lorraine Martin wanted a ride home to Snells Beach with Paul Shanahan. A friend waiting outside the courtroom witnessed this and alerted me. My lawyer notified the Court of this exchange and Constable Fairbrass was required to record the interaction.
Paul Shanahan gave evidence under oath during the second day of the trial after Lorraine Martin. Based on how Paul Shanahan answered questions, it was obvious that he had been fed information about what evidence had been given on the first day of the trial. He contradicted what he said in his police statements and gave evidence that tried to reconcile with my photographic evidence and the lies that Lorraine Martin had told.
The conspiracy was well and truly exposed.
These are just some examples of the many Paul Shanahan lies in my book Unleashed: Sex, rackets & vigilantes in New Zealand's most corrupted community.