Mr. Happy got lucky during a court appearance in Naas outside Dublin on Monday.

John Happy appeared before Judge Desmond Zaidan on charges of leaving the scene of an accident .

However, when the judge found out that Happy worked for a nursing home called TLC (Tender Loving care0, he decided to be lenient

"How can I sentence someone to prison who works for a company called Tender Loving Care, and whose name is Mr Happy?" the judge wondered .

Mr. Happy was charged with leaving the scene of an accident after he hit another vehicle in a car park on August 7 last year.

The court was told  the incident was caught on CCTV, and police were able to trace him. He said he had not realized he hit another car.

"I don't accept that," the judge said. "If you hit a stone, you'd know about it. You would know you hit a car."

 Mr Happy was fined €750 ($1,020). Three other charges were struck out.