The lawyer for a County Meath man who illegally obtained credit cards to live in luxury during a Queensland crime spree, has compared his crimes to Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis’ movie “The Hangover”.

Michael Hegarty (27), along with two other offenders, posed as the children of rich parents during a crime spree in Australia between October and December 2011.

His defense solicitor, Katherine Rolfe, told the court that while she did not want to ''make light of the situation, but you may be familiar with the film “The Hangover."

According to the Brisbane Times she said, ''Well this is the case of “The Hangover” gone wrong, and Mr Hegarty has borne the brunt of that.''

Earlier this week senior Constable Roy Brandi told Melbourne Magistrates Court that, before the group was arrested in Sydney and extradited to Melbourne, the men had stayed at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast and Hilton Surfers Paradise. He also said they had ran drunk through the foyer wearing balaclavas.

The group then traveled to Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island where they thrashed a golf buggy, while drunk. They were escorted off the resort.

The three men, Hegarty, Laurence Pawlaczyk (19) and Daniel Pike (20) lived lavishly hiring limousines, taking Qantas flights and eating well during their six-week crime spree.

Their crimes include using illegal credit card numbers they bought online for $9 each.

Hegarty’s defense lawyer maintains that he was the “weakest link” in the crime group, a naïve older man who they corrupted and “socially engineered”

Pawlaczyk has been sentenced to 103 days' jail while Pike and Hegarty will be sentenced next week.