Carmody cleared of all charges of deception

Former Co Clare GP Paschal Carmody said today he has spent "between €2 million to €3 million" in defending his innocence in the courts over the past nine years.

He also claimed that lives of his former patients were lost after the Medical Council intervened in 2003 to prevent him from further providing his range of treatments to 150 cancer patients.

Mr Carmody (65) of Ballycuggeran, Killaloe, was struck off by the Medical Council in 2004. He feels very wronged to have been struck off, he said.

He was speaking toay after he was cleared of the two outstanding charges against him relating to obtaining €14,300 through falsely pretending that he could cure the cancer of the late JJ Gallagher of Kingswood, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

At Ennis Circuit Court, counsel for the State, Stephen Coughlan BL said: "I'm sure that Dr Carmody's family will be pleased and relieved to hear that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that a nolle prosqui be entered in those proceedings."

The decision by the DPP comes seven months after Judge Raymond Fullam directed that Mr Carmody be found not guilty on all nine charges of obtaining €16,554 from families of Co Wexford schoolboy Conor O'Sullivan (15) and Kilkenny man John Sheridan (57) in 2001-2002 at the East Clinic in Killaloe, Co Clare.

Judge Fullam said last December the evidence against Mr Carmody was so weak that it would be a mistake to allow the case go before a jury.

Today’s two minute hearing brings to a close a nine year prosecution process against Mr Carmody that began in 2004 when gardai searched his Killaloe clinic. He faced three separate criminal trials between 2008 and 2012.

In the first case of its type in Ireland, charges were first brought against Mr Carmody in 2006 after a two year long Garda investigation.

Mr Carmody - who did not receive legal aid for the three separate trials - said he intends to apply to the State for his legal costs.

Speaking outside the court Mr Carmody said: “Today would have to restore my reputation. I have been totally vindicated ... there was no conviction against me. There were 46 charges originally levelled at me. Not one charge was proven. I feel I have been totally vindicated and my work was not in any way wrong. I feel that now I can move forward and go on with my life”.

On the range of cancer treatments offered to his patients, Mr Carmody said: “We had enough of success to say to these people that yes, there is a possibility that your child, husband or brother could improve.

“There was the question of promising the cure - that was outrageous, it was contemptuous ... No doctor or intelligent person will say ‘I can cure cancer’.

Mr Carmody said he has no regrets offering cancer treatments to his former patients.“I was the only doctor providing these treatments of photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy. They stopped all that and patients died and patients that may not have died did die and continued to die for a number of years and unfortunately one has to suspect, it was through the withdrawal of the treatment as opposed to a deterioration of their illness.”

The married father of five with three sons pursuing a career in medicine said: “The great regret I have is that I had 150 patients - long term survivors five years plus - when I was injuncted from carrying on the treatment”.