More than 20 men claim former surgeon assaulted them

GARDAÍ have confirmed they have received more than 20 new complaints from men alleging they were indecently assaulted by the disgraced hospital consultant Michael Shine.

They have also appealed for anyone else who has concerns about the way in which they were treated by the former surgeon to contact them.

Last November Shine was struck off the medical register after the fitness to practice committee of the Medical Council found him guilty of professional misconduct because he had made sexual advances to three male patients.

This week the medical council outlined the grounds on which they found him guilty.

This also included making indecent suggestions and/or behaving indecently to each of these patients as well as assaulting or indecently assaulting the patients and undertaking inappropriate and/or improper medical examinations and/or treatments.

For more than 30 years, Mr Shine, 77, worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and a private practice.

All of the complaints made to gardaí in Drogheda allege the assaults took place in the hospital or in his private rooms on Fair Street, Drogheda on dates from 1974 to the early 1990s.

Mr Shine was acquitted by a jury of indecent assaults on six other patients following a trial at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court in 2003.

Yesterday gardaí in Drogheda appealed for anyone with complaints to contact them at the garda station and “talk to us either formally or informally”. They can be contacted on 041-9874200.

The call for people to come forward was reiterated by Aire, the support and advocacy group set up for his patients by Bernadette Sullivan one of the nurses who first raised concerns about him.

Yesterday Aire met with gardaí from Drogheda.

“It was a very positive meeting and we are very happy with the commitment to the investigation and particularly the skill and professionalism shown to the complainants by the gardaí,” she said.

She said the group has been contacted by nearly 100 former patients who allege they were indecently assaulted by Shine.

Some complaints are from women but the majority are men who say the assaults took place when they were young boys or in their teens.

It is believed that some people have also made statements to their solicitors alleging they were assaulted and these have yet to be given to the gardaí.

Gardaí in Drogheda say that all of the allegations will be put to Mr Shine and when the investigation is complete they will send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Aire also renewed its call for a public enquiry into alleged incidents in the Lourdes hospital. It can be contacted on 086 1654111.