Page 6 - Irish Examiner USA

newsexaminer
6

Lisa Smith Arrested In Dublin After
2019 CervicalCheck Review Finds 159 Cases Of Missed Arriving Back In Ireland From Syria

4th, Chances To Prevent Or Diagnose Cancer Earlier
December ACervicalCheck slides changes.” Varadkar admitted he did not
1,034
of
review
handle the CervicalCheck con-
In total RCOG disagreed
w o m e n ’ s
with CervicalCheck results in
troversy as well as he could
| has found that in around 30% a third of cases they analyzed – have initially.
308 out of the 1,034 women
“I for one, looking back on
of cases, it recorded a different
EXAMINER result to the original finding. with cancer. it, did not handle it in the way
The panel identified missed
For 159 women, including
perhaps I should have. I made
some mistakes,” he said. “I
opportunities to prevent or
12 who have died, it means
diagnose cancer in 15% of the
think the Government and
there were missed opportuni-
IRISH ties to prevent or diagnose women. Opposition did too. As Dr
Scally pointed out in his
their cancer earlier.
Lead assessor, Professor
The UK Royal College of Henry Kitchener, on outlining report, the media did too.
Obstetricians and some of the clinical failures, “I hope on this occasion
A former member of the Irish military who became a so-called
Gynaecologists’ report dis- said: “There were 106 cases we’ll all handle it a little bit Islamic State bride in Syria has been arrested on suspicion of ter-
agrees with the smear test where we felt (concerned) a better than we did two years ror offences as she arrived back in Ireland.
results for 308 women with failure to prevent the can- ago.” C Lisa Smith, 38, once accompanied an ex-president and leader
cancer. The panel notes that cer...Many of those failures to of Ireland on foreign trips as a member of the Defense Forces but
these findings are in line with prevent applied to very early
those seen in the English stage disease. went to the war-torn Middle Eastern country in 2015 after con-
verting to Islam and becoming radicalized.
screening program. “In one third of the cases Ms Smith had been living with her two-year-old daughter in a
It was ordered by the (53 cases), there was a failure Syrian refugee camp; she is being cared for by her family in
Government in May last year, to prevent or to diagnose (can- Ireland while her mother is questioned at a Dublin police station.
after a series of scandals affect- cer) at an earlier stage. A
She was deported from Turkey and put on the first scheduled
ing CervicalCheck. minority of the women had Turkish Airlines flight to Ireland, which landed at the Irish capi-
The review analyzed 1,659 advanced stage (cancer) - tal’s airport on Sunday morning.
slides from 1,038 women or clearly the consequences for Irish police said: “Today, Sunday 1st December 2019, at
their next of kin, 1,034 had these women were not incon- Dublin Airport, An Garda Siochana has arrested an Irish Citizen
invasive cancer and four had siderable.”
“high grade abnormal In the Dáil, Taoiseach Leo (38 year old female) on suspicion of terrorist offences following
her deportation from Turkey.
“She is currently being detained at a South Dublin Garda sta-
tion under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences against the
State Act, 1939 as amended.
“A child, also an Irish citizen, was in the company of the
female and is now being cared for by relatives.”
Ms Smith has denied being involved in violence.
RTÉ said she was accompanied by three consular officials
from the Department of Foreign Affairs, members of the Army
Ranger Wing, and a Turkish security officer on the flight.
She was not in custody for the four-and-a-half-hour journey
but Irish police were waiting at Dublin airport for the plane’s
arrival.
Images of her arrival showed her covered in a pink blanket as
she was taken from the aircraft.
She was transported in a dark-colored van to Kevin Street
police station in Dublin.
Her daughter was born in Syria but is an Irish citizen.
Ms Smith is originally from Dundalk in Co Louth, close to the
Irish border with Northern Ireland.
She has said the father of her child was a suspected member of
IS who died last year.
Ms Smith held a relatively lowly role in the Defense Forces but
worked on the official Irish Government jet.
She accompanied former president Mary Robinson and then
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on journeys.
Significant numbers of Europeans left for Syria to fight for and
against IS during a bloody war which destroyed the Middle
Eastern country and produced millions of refugees.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ms Smith should have the
right of return to Ireland and that removing her citizenship
would not be right or compassionate.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: “This is a sensitive case
and I want to reassure people that all relevant State agencies are
closely involved.
“A multi-agency network is in place here comprising agency
personnel who engage on an ongoing basis with international
colleagues regarding emerging practice in relation to the complex
issue of radicalization.
“This network will co-ordinate engagement on a case by case
basis as and when appropriate.” C