‘I believe the number abused by him in Ireland alone could be closer to 500’ – victim of disgraced surgeon Michael Shine calls for sealed review to be opened
- Dignity 4Patients
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
By Emma McMenamy – Irish Independent – 11.05.2025 – [IRELAND] – [Michael Shine]
A victim of disgraced surgeon Michael Shine is calling for a sealed review into the sexual abuse carried out by the prolific paedophile to be released to the public.
Last September, then taoiseach Simon Harris stated that then health minister Stephen Donnelly was engaging with the attorney general on the matter, but to date, findings from the report which were conducted by retired High Court judge TC Smyth in 2009, have not been published. The Government said it is still awaiting legal advice on releasing the report.
Pat Cusack (62) was just 11 years old when Shine abused him at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, after he was referred to see him with severe stomach cramps.
He was brought into a consultation room with the former surgeon while his parents waited outside and it was during this time the sexual abuse allegedly took place.
Mr Cusack is also calling for a new commission of investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of up to 371 young boys by Shine to take place.
Last week, in an interview with The Journal, Shine claimed his victims are being motivated by money, a charge which was described as “absolutely despicable” and denied by the chief executive of Dignity4Patients, Adrienne Reilly. “They’re all hoping for money,” Shine, now aged 92, said. “It is lies.”
Mr Cusack said “if Shine is able to do an interview with a journalist for 25 minutes, then he is able to answer some questions put to him by a commission”.
Shine was found guilty in February 2019 of 12 charges of indecent assault and one charge of sexual assault and was freed after just three years in the Midlands Prison in Co Laois.
In November 2017, he was also found guilty on three counts of assaulting two teenage patients on dates between 1974 and 1976 and given a 20-month sentence. The offences took place as he examined patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and at two private clinics in the town between 1971 and 1992.
Last week, Shine claimed that he never abused any child despite being found guilty before the courts. Some 371 men have come forward claiming Shine had sexually assaulted them as young boys.
Speaking from his home in Shercock, Co Cavan, Mr Cusack, a father of eight, said the Government is still no closer to exposing the enormity of Shine’s alleged abuse.
“Simon Harris last May or June, when the general election was coming up, called Shine a paedophile and said, ‘We will get to the bottom of it’. They have all said it and nothing has been done,” Mr Cusack said.
“Former health minister, Dr James Reilly said in Buswells Hotel in Dublin in 2009, while crying in front of us, ‘I’m ashamed as a member of the medical profession to think that this man could cause so much hurt and pain and I give an undertaking here today that if I get into government that I will get to the bottom of it’. He got into government and it never happened,” he added.
“They [politicians] were all at it. There will never be a full inquiry into it, just false promises.
“There was a review carried out in 2009 that is still sitting there in the Ministry of Health. It’s still under lock and key, and that was only a review of 143 men who had come forward at the time.
“They have always said the reason for not publishing it is due to the fact that it could compromise any future legal cases.
“It was set up in confidence, and many men came forward for the first time to tell what had happened to them. And the only reason many of them did so was with the hope that it would come to public light so everyone could see what Shine had done,” he said.
In April, victims of Shine and representatives of the advocacy organisation Dignity4Patients met with Taoiseach Micheál Martin to discuss calls for a commission of investigation.
They are calling for a public inquiry to examine claims that authorities, including the Medical Missionaries of Mary that ran the hospital where Shine worked, knew about the abuse which, went on for over three decades and failed to stop it.
Adrienne Reilly said she remained “cautiously optimistic” that Mr Martin will agree to a public inquiry.
“He has shown that there is nothing wrong with his memory following a lengthy interview with the media last week. He remembered me, so claims that his memory is seriously impaired doesn’t wash with me,” Mr Cusack said.
He has always stuck to the story of ‘Oh, they are only in it for the money’
Speaking after Shine’s claims last weekend that he never abused any young child but forgives those who made the claims, Mr Cusack responded: “He forgives those who made the allegations against him? That’s highly insulting and ridiculous. If anything, he should be looked into for abuse abroad, not just in Ireland.
“If there are over 370 alleged cases alone in Ireland, there could potentially be a hell of a lot more overseas.
“I believe the number of those abused by Shine in Ireland alone is closer to being 500,” he added.
Mr Cusack said he finds it highly hypocritical that such a prolific abuser attends mass regularly.
“People ask, ‘Do you wish him dead?’ I don’t. That wouldn’t make any difference to me. As for the hypocrisy of going to mass, good luck if he is expecting to get into heaven. If there is justice, then he will get a one-way bus ticket to hell. That is where he should go,” he said.
Shine claimed in the interview that his victims were only motivated by money and that he never examined anybody without a nurse present.
Mr Cusack said no amount of money could ever undo the hurt and pain Shine caused.
“He has always stuck to the story of ‘Oh, they are only in it for the money’,” Mr Cusack added.
“Not all the tea in China or €10m would compensate you for the abuse he inflicted. It stays with you; it has stayed with me for over 50 years.
“You get a life sentence no matter how you deal with it and no matter how much psychotherapy you get. Monetary compensation will never eliminate the pain.
“As for him saying it never happened, over 370 people have come forward; you can’t tell me all of them are lying.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the Sunday Independent: “The Government is determined to listen to the victims represented by Dignity4Patients and consider what actions are appropriate in response to the issues raised by them.”
Regarding the review carried out in 2009, they said: “In order to ensure that the publication does not adversely impact those who contributed to the report, or undermine future civil or criminal cases, legal advice has been sought on the matter of publishing the report.
“This legal advice has not yet been received by the Department of Health,” they added.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- Despite Judge TC Smyth's review involving only 143 individuals, 378 survivors have sought help from Dignity4Patients. That's 235 individuals who are eager to share their stories and seek justice. A #CommissionOfInvestigation holds the authority to unveil the Drogheda Review Report, allowing all survivors an opportunity for justice, understanding, truth, and healing.