Ex-patient of surgeon accused of groping has ‘flashbacks’, court told

A man has told the trial of a retired surgeon accused of groping a number of boys in his care that he experiences “flashbacks” of being masturbated during an examination.

Michael Shine (86) of Ballsbridge, Dublin has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 13 charges of indecent assault allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and at two private clinics in Drogheda.

On the sixth day of the trial, a man told Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, that Mr Shine masturbated his penis during an examination in 1975 when he was aged 13. The court heard that examination took place following surgery by Mr Shine on his testicles.

The witness told Mr Hartnett that his father brought him to the examination, but he was not in the room with him while it was carried out.

The man said that he began experiencing “flashbacks” to the incident after making a complaint to gardaí­. He said he had never told anyone about the incident aside from his wife until he gave a statement to gardaí­.

The man said that the incident had never left his memory and he had “tried to get on with” his life. He said that when he gave a statement to gardaí he had to bring the memories to the forefront of his mind and that it was a traumatic experience.

Mr Hartnett asked the man if he had a long history of abusing alcohol and he replied that he probably drank more than is recommended. He added that if that was what constituted alcohol abuse then it was “safe to say I do have an abusive relationship with alcohol”.

He refuted Mr Hartnett’s suggestion that he was incorrect in his assertion that Mr Shine had masturbated his penis, saying that it “categorically did happen”.

The man told Cathleen Noctor SC, prosecuting, that he did not object to Mr Shine examining his testicles as this was the area that Mr Shine had performed surgery on.

The trial continues on Friday before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.