Ireland

Mother tells court Carmody said he would cure her late son

A MOTHER of a terminally ill 15-year-old boy said yesterday that Dr Paschal Carmody told him he would cure him of cancer or at…

Thu Mar 31 2011 - 01:00

A MOTHER of a terminally ill 15-year-old boy said yesterday that Dr Paschal Carmody told him he would cure him of cancer or at worst keep him alive.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Christina O’Sullivan said her son Conor was given six months to live by consultant oncologist Dr Finn Breathnach on June 27th, 2002, days before Conor’s consultation with Dr Carmody.

Mrs O’Sullivan said she and her husband, Derek, and Conor travelled from Co Wexford to Dr Carmody’s east Clare clinic on July 9th. “Dr Carmody said that photodynamic therapy worked well with the form of cancer Conor had,” Mrs O’Sullivan said.

She added: “Dr Carmody came from behind his desk and put his arm around Conor’s shoulder and told him: ‘I’ll cure your cancer and if I don’t cure you of cancer, at worst I’ll keep you alive’.”

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Counsel for Dr Carmody, Patrick Marrinan, told Mrs O’Sullivan: “Dr Carmody denies emphatically that he would ever state to any patient that he could cure them of cancer.”

Mr Marrinan added: “Dr Carmody never promised he would cure Conor or keep him alive. You’re misinterpreting what he said on that occasion.”

Mrs O’Sullivan said that Dr Carmody did say the words. “Those words, I will never forget them.”

In the case, Dr Carmody (62) is pleading not guilty to defrauding family members of two cancer patients of €16,554 at the clinic in Killaloe in 2001-02.

Dr Carmody has pleaded not guilty to seven deception charges totalling €9,610 in relation to defrauding parents Derek and Christina O’Sullivan concerning the photodynamic therapy treatment given under false pretences to Conor on dates between July and October 2002.

Dr Carmody has also pleaded not guilty to obtaining by deception €6,944 from John Sheridan of Kells, Co Kilkenny, in November 2001 through the administration of the therapy.

Mrs O’Sullivan told the court: “We were told at worst that the treatment would keep him alive. We were absolutely thrilled that there was somebody there to help him.” However, Conor died four months later on November 13th, 2002. The trial continues today.