ON EU DAY FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME, VICTIMS OF MICHAEL SHINE, FORMER SURGEON AT OUR LADY OF LOURDES HOSPITAL IN DROGHEDA, PLEAD WITH GOVERNMENT FOR A PUBLIC INQUIRY
Today is EU Day for Victims of Crime and this year’s theme focuses on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Goal 16 specifically calls for the “promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.
Dignity4Patients, which provides, support, information, and advocacy to over 300 victims of sexual abuse by former surgeon and convicted sexual offender, Michael Shine is calling for a public inquiry. Michael Shine, while working in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, allegedly abused male children for decades. Many are still waiting any form of justice.
According to Dignity4Patients CEO, Adrienne Reilly, “tomorrow will be two years since Michael Shine was released, in a covert manner, from the Midlands Prison (Portlaoise) without having to face his victims or the media, after serving only three years of a four-year sentence”.
Adrienne Reilly adds “today we will see and hear statements from politicians in relation to their commitment to victims of crime. However, they need to actually listen to victims and be serious in their commitment to provide proper, real and effective accountable justice, such as in our victims’ case, a public inquiry.
While our victim-survivors stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors of sexual abuse in current inquiries such as the Spiritan Scoping Inquiry into sexual abuse in schools, they cannot understand why they, in their hundreds, asking for exactly the same thing, are being ignored.
Today they are calling for Ministers Helen McEntee, Stephen Donnelly and Michael McGrath to agree a way forward on a public inquiry into the sexual abuse of the largest paedophile and abuser, of hundreds of mostly young boys, in the history of the Irish State.”
“Remember” continues Reilly, “he is Ireland’s Jimmy Saville. And as in the recent post master’s scandal in the UK and the North of Ireland, when they reported what was happening, they were told they were the only one, they were not believed. Michael Shine’s victims, innocent children at the time, when they reported their abuse as adults were also told “they were the only one”. They were not believed. They now need acknowledgement and access to effective justice. They want and deserve a public inquiry.”
Media Contact and for interviews: CEO – Adrienne Reilly, 0830886301
Helpline Support: 041 9843730 Monday – Thursday 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Text Support: 086 1654111 Monday –Thursday 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Email: support@dignity4patients.org Twitter: @Dignity4patient
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.