February 23, 2022
Sex offender Michael Shine was taken out of prison after serving three years behind bars for the sexual and indecent assault of seven boys between 1971 and 1992.
The actions of the pedophile and former surgeon now call for a public investigation into how Shine (89), who worked at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, County Louth, was able to continue abusing children for decades when his activities were widely known.
A group that supports victims of the serial sex offender is lobbying the government to follow up on legal fees that derailed compensation deals for more than 100 survivors.
Shine was jailed in 2019 but left Midlands Prison this morning at 10:30 am.
Around the same time as his release, a vehicle was driven to a back door in the prison and waited until it opened.
The vehicle was then reversed into the prison and the solid gate closed in front of it.
He emerged about five minutes later with a man who matched Shine’s description in the passenger seat and was driven to Dublin.
Under normal circumstances, inmates exit the prison through one of the two doors and are picked up by a relative or a taxi in a parking area in front of the prison.
Allowing a prisoner to be picked up out of sight would not be the norm.
The Irish Prison Service today said it does not comment on individual prisoners’ cases.
The High Court heard last October that more than 100 civil actions against Shine and the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM), who ran the hospital, had been settled, ending the litigation that began in 2012.
However, within weeks the apparent deal was undone due to a dispute between religious order insurer Allianz and the HSE over who should pay the HSE bills in the case.
The HSE was also initially blamed in the actions taken by men who claimed they were abused by Shine as children. The lawsuit against it was closed, but not before having accumulated substantial costs in the order of 1 million euros.
In a statement, Dignity4Patients, a defense and support organization helping Shine victims, called on the government to step in and explain why the ongoing cost dispute was delaying the payment of damages.
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Midlands Prison, Portlaoise before Michael Shine’s release. Midlands Prison, Portlaoise before Michael Shine’s release.
The issue was raised yesterday in Dáil by Labor TD Ged Nash, who said: “This is a case of divergent lawyers as the survivors continue to suffer.
“Many of the men feel they have been traumatized again as the legal arguments continue to resonate, completely oblivious to their pain and suffering.”
Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said the HSE and the State Complaints Agency were trying to recover from the congregation and Allianz the costs incurred by the HSE in defending the claims. However, he insisted that these costs “are not an impediment” to the settlement of complaints. The minister said both sides have recently agreed to start mediation on the matter.
Victims denounced the situation, saying they had been denied justice.
One survivor who has a civil action pending said, “I think it is very unfair that Shine is released at this time when over 100 of us victims are still in limbo about what the end result will be for us.
“I’ve been looking for justice since 2012. It’s been 10 years of torture. And Shine goes back to her big house in Dublin.
Another said: “It is disgusting the attitude taken and further tormenting the victims through non-payment. Maybe if he were one of their family members they would look at him differently. “