Sex offending retired surgeon released from prison after three years
89-year-old retired surgeon Michael Shine, who was jailed for sexually assaulting seven boys, was released from Midlands Prison at 10.30am on Wednesday morning. Picture: Collins Courts
Convicted sex offender and retired surgeon Michael Shine has been released from the prison having served three years behind bars for the sexual assault of seven boys. The 89-year-old was released from Midlands Prison at 10.30am on Wednesday morning.
On his release, Shine was driven away from prison by a waiting vehicle which had been allowed to get in behind the prison gate, an apparent break in normal procedures. The Irish Prison Service said it does not comment on individual prisoner cases.
Shine was jailed for the indecent and sexual assault of seven boys between 1971 and 1992.
The disgraced surgeon, who was struck off in 2008, still has 100 cases against him which have yet to be settled despite an agreement almost being reached.
The has spoken to victims of Shine who are still awaiting settlement in their compensation case, which is now bogged down by a legal row over costs.
Thinking of all the victims and survivors we work with today. #justicedelayedisjusticedenied #releaseSmythReport #fullpublicinquiry https://t.co/64X1P6VZWy
— Adrienne Reilly (@memorials123) February 23, 2022
They are seeking a public inquiry into how Shine was able to abuse children with impunity for so many years when suspicions existed.
After the revealed the substantial delay to Shine’s more than 100 victims being compensated, there have been calls from the victims for the Government to intervene to bring about a speedy solution.
Dignity4Patients, a support group for the victims of Shine, called on the Government to intervene and explain why the ongoing row over costs was delaying payment of damages.
“The HSE and the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) row has nothing to do with victims and survivors,” said Dignity4Patients CEO Adrienne Reilly. She continued:
Time marches on and many survivors are facing serious health challenges as they age. Shine has been tried, convicted, served his sentence, and is now being released, with no sign yet of restitution for the present group of survivors of his abuse over 30 years when they were children.
“This contrasts sharply with other redress schemes established by the State and religious bodies in similar circumstances,” she said.
Last October, the High Court was told that more than 100 civil actions against Shine and the MMM, which ran the hospital, had been settled, bringing to an end litigation that started in 2012.
However, a dispute between the religious order’s insurer Allianz and the HSE arose over who should pay the HSE’s costs in the case.
The HSE had initially also been a defendant in the actions taken by men who say they were abused by Shine as children. The case against it was struck out, but not before it ran up substantial costs in the region of €1m.
Speaking in the Dáil, Louth Labour TD Ged Nash said many of the men feel they are being re-traumatised as the legal rows rumble on, completely oblivious to their pain and suffering.
Responding, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said the HSE and the State Claims Agency are seeking to recover from the congregation and Allianz the costs which the HSE incurred in defending the claims. These costs are not an impediment to the settlement of the claims, the minister said adding that both sides had recently agreed to enter mediation on the issue.
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