Cancer sufferer in Moldova forced to give up treatment as breadwinner son serves Irish jail term.
THE MOTHER of an immigrant who is serving a prison term in Ireland has spoken of her anguish at what she perceives as an unjust sentence. A cancer sufferer since 1996, Lidia Raspopova from Chisinau in Moldova lost her lifeline when her only son was jailed in Ireland two years ago. The 36- year-old was working here in the construction industry and was regularly sending money home – money vital to his mother’s treatment in order to stop the cancer from spreading.
Raspopova, who spoke to Metro Éireann by phone, said she was first diagnosed with the disease in 1996. Later that same year, one of her kidneys was removed to halt the cancer’s progression. But the malignant tumour spread to her uterus, which was also subsequently removed. Later her spleen and pancreas were both operated upon.
The Moldovan woman said she must continue with her treatment, but can no longer afford it. At the moment her only income is a state pension of around US$50 per month, to which she is entitled as a disabled person, plus the earnings she makes doing part-time clerical work. She said it was enough to buy hormonal medication prescribed to her by doctors, but was not enough to pay for most of the prescribed treatment procedures.
However, Raspopova insisted emphatically that her main cause of anguish was the “unjust” sentence imposed on her son.
“I do not believe for a moment that he could do it,” she said. “There was no motive and the evidence given by witnesses is unclear. There are so many unexplained things”.
Raspopova’s son came to Ireland in 2000. In 2006 he was charged with committing arson in Skibbereen, Co Cork. The fire he was accused of starting caused nearly €3m worth of damage and gutted an historic building in the small town.
According to records in Cork Circuit Court, the man’s case was first tried in February 2007, resulting in a hung jury. After a second trial in May 2007, the Moldovan was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment. He maintained his innocence throughout both trials. He is appealing the verdict, with a hearing due at the end of this year.
Lidia Raspopova said her son is her only child, whom she reared on her own since he was nine years old after her husband left the family. She said she had a brother and a sister living in Chisinau, but they could not provide her with material assistance as they had their own families to look after.
“I raised him on my own and all my hopes were with him,” she said of her son. Metro Éireann contacted Raspopova after she got in touch with Ireland’s Russian newspaper Nasha Gazeta. She requested information on the condition of her son, who is serving his sentence in Dublin’s Wheatfield prison, and asked the journalists to be present at the upcoming appeal hearing.
