An alleged victim of a retired surgeon accused of indecently assaulting hospital patients has told a jury that he received €70,000 in compensation from the hospital.
Michael Shine (85) denies eight charges of committing indecent assault at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and at his private clinic, both in Drogheda, Co Louth, on dates between 1964 and 1991.
On Tuesday the first complainant, now aged 65, testified at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that while attending at the hospital in 1964 with a chest cyst, Dr Shine massaged his testicles.
On Wednesday Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, put it to the witness that there was a campaign, run by a woman called Bernadette Sullivan, against Dr Shine. He said there was a lot of publicity around this campaign including advertisements and talks on local radio asking anybody who had been treated by Dr Shine to come forward to make complaints.
The witness agreed he telephoned a number provided by local radio and later met the organisation run by Ms Sullivan.
Mr Hartnett submitted that the organisation arranged for the witness to meet gardaí and to get a solicitor to arrange for actions for damages against the hospital. The witness agreed that a civil claim was pursued.
Counsel asked the witness if he was advised during an “advocacy meeting” on how best to present or not present his case. The witness, who is legally entitled to anonymity, said he could not answer this and said “it was just an ordinary meeting”.
He told Bernard Condon SC, prosecuting, that he met the Dignity For Patients group around four or five times before going to gardaí. He said he was not under any influence to go to gardaí, saying “it was my decision”.
He said in a civil case he received €70,000 from the hospital with no admission of liability. He said his case was settled with the hospital about five years ago and he had never received any compensation from the defendant.
He said he had no financial benefit now or into the future from being in court on Wednesday.
The complainant told the jury that at one stage he considered withdrawing his complaint to gardaí.
Mr Hartnett put it to him that his reason for considering withdrawing his complaint was that there was no basis for it. The witness said this was wrong.
Mr Shine, of Wellington Road in Dublin 4 is accused of committing the indecent assaults at the hospital on unknown dates between 1964 and 1965, 1970 and 1972, 1975 and 1976 and on a unknown date between 1988 and 1991.
He is also accused of indecently assaulting a male on two occasions in a clinic in Drogheda on unknown dates in 1973 and 1974 and in 1975.
The trial continues before Judge Cormac Quinn and a jury of four men and eight women and is expected to last two weeks.