Report recommends Commission of Investigation into Michael Shine
By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
A multi-phase Commission of Investigation into disgraced surgeon and paedophile Michael Shine should begin immediately, it has been recommended.
Shine, aged 94, was convicted of assaulting nine boys at two trials in 2017 and 2019.
Victims’ group Dignity4Patients had called for a public inquiry to probe how claims of decades of abuse at a hospital in Co Louth and at Shine’s private practice were handled.
He had worked as a senior registrar at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda from 1964 to 1995.
The Government tasked Judge Lorcan Staines with conducting a scoping exercise into Shine following consultation with Dignity4Patients.
In his report, published on Thursday, he recommended the commencement of a six-phase Commission of Investigation which should start “immediately”.
The Department of Health said the Government accepts the recommendations “in full”, with officials beginning consultation with the office of the Attorney General for the Commission of Investigation.
In the scoping exercise, which was not a statutory inquiry and was not fact-finding, Mr Staines said the damage done to victims and survivors was “palpable”.
He said several common themes emerged from the accounts: “Allegations of abuse reported to me involved a broad range of ages, including reports of abuse when victims were children, teenagers and young adults.
There was unanimous agreement among those I spoke to that the response to their allegations had been unsatisfactory.
“Allegations were reported as having occurred in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, in Michael Shine’s private practice in Fair Street, Drogheda, and in Michael Shine’s own home, with the earliest allegation said to have occurred in 1964 and the latest in 1990.”
He added: “Nearly all of the victims who spoke to me were of the view that Michael Shine’s conduct was a matter of public knowledge at the time. Many referred to local warnings, local comments, and the phrase that ‘the dogs on the street’ knew what was happening.
“There was unanimous agreement among those I spoke to that the response to their allegations had been unsatisfactory.
“Concerns were raised in relation to virtually every body or organisation which had responsibility to deal with the alleged conduct, including the Hospital staff and board, the North Eastern Health Board, the Medical Council, An Garda Síochána, the Director of Public Prosecutions, subsequent reviews, and the Courts.”
Finally there is something on the record going towards full vindication of all the victims and survivors of convicted sexual offender Michael Shine.
Dignity4Patients CEO Adrienne Reilly said the response to the report has been overwhelmingly positive.
She added: “This a historic moment. Finally there is something on the record going towards full vindication of all the victims and survivors of the convicted sexual offender Michael Shine.
“Many have waited for this moment for over thirty years. Many living in silence much longer.”
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “I welcome the publication of the report of the Scoping Exercise into Michael Shine.
“I want to acknowledge the bravery of the individuals who came forward to share their lived experience with the facilitator.
“It is clear that their experiences have shaped the report and its recommendations.
She added: “I would like to express my thanks to Mr Lorcan Staines for the victim-centred engagement he has had with the victims and survivors.
“I would also like to thank Dignity4Patients for their collaboration with Mr Staines throughout the process.”
