A father has told the Lindsay Tribunal that a Dublin hospital tested his haemophiliac son for HIV in December 1984, but he only found out nearly two years later by mistake. Using the pseudonym "Martin", the man said that his son was tested at around the age of 4 at St James's Hospital, but no information of the result was sent to his home. He said that he made contact with the hospital to establish the results, but did not get an answer.
However, at a meeting around October 1986, Professor Ian Temperley said to "Martin's" wife, "I see you got on well at your counselling". "Martin" said that they had never received any counselling and so asked questions, to which they were informed of their son's HIV status. He said that they never received any subsequent contact from either counsellors or social workers, even though the hospital records suggested it had happened before the meeting.
He said his son's health deteriorated from 1992. He became very fail, unable to support his own body weight, skinny and his eyes were out on stalks. He said that, when he died, it was a relief that the "poor little lad wouldn't suffer anymore". "Martin" told the Tribunal that he wants justice. "I firmly believe mistakes were knowingly made and I want to see heads on a plate at the end of the Tribunal".
Another witness, calling himself "Daniel", spoke about becoming infected with Hepatitis C and his desire that people be held responsible. He referred to the recent multiple murder trial of Liverpool's Dr Shipman, saying "a doctor killed 18 people by giving products he knew to kill". He said of the victims, "they had the dignity that they could die immediately. We've not had that dignity, we are the ones serving the sentence".
The Tribunal earlier heard evidence from a woman whose brother died after contracting HIV and Hepatitis C from contaminated blood products. Using the pseudonym "Julie", she spoke of how her brother had to pay for counselling in the mid-80s, as she believed there was none available from the State. She said that she wanted the Tribunal to find the brutal truth.
The Chairwoman of the Tribunal, Alison Lindsey, said this morning that she takes a very serious view of the lead story in today's Irish Examiner, which, she said, had the hallmarks of unfairness. She made the remark after counsel for Professor Ian Temperely described a report of a leaked memorandum published by the paper as a gross distortion, sensationalist and selective. Brian McGovern SC said that the article was grossly unfair and added that his client should not be submitted to trial by media.
