Local TD Ged Nash calls for Commission of Investigation
The decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions not to proceed with 25 extra allegations of sexual abuse by convicted paedophile doctor Michael Shine has shocked many people in the local community.
The decision has prompted local TD Ged Nash to write to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee seeking the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into Michael Shine’s conduct.
Shine was jailed for four years in 2019 for sexually assaulting seven boys over three decades while working at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. He was released having served three years. One hundred and twelve other cases against Shine and the HSE were settled in the High Court.
“This decision has sent shockwaves through communities in Louth and Meath, causing enormous distress not only for the men whose cases will now never be heard in a court of law and their families, but for all of those who have suffered at the hands of this prolific abuser” Nash said in his letter to the Minister.
“Last night’s Prime Time item entitled ‘Justice Delayed, Justice Denied’ is an important reminder that for most of the victims and survivors of Shine, many of whom have been involved in an almost thirty-year campaign for truth and justice with the support of Dignity4Patients, their journey has involved nothing but a series of doors being slammed shut in their faces”.
“For far too many, justice is more distant now than it has ever been.
“It is now clear that it is unlikely than any additional cases against Michael Shine will ever be brought to Court.”
Deputy Nash said that a Commission of Investigation would at least allow the victims and survivors to be able to have their voices heard and their traumatic experiences of abuse at the hands of an abuser employed in the public health service acknowledged, understood and accepted by the State.
He added that the findings of such an investigation would also be useful in the future evolution of policy on safeguarding and the protection of children and vulnerable citizens.
