Survivors of abuser Bill Kenneally criticise Government over how report was released
Jason Clancy, Barry Murphy, Colin Power, Kevin Keating, and Paul Walsh outside Buswells' Hotel in Dublin after a press conference about a report into their abuser Bill Kenneally. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA
Survivors of prolific paedophile Bill Kenneally have criticised the Government over how it published the Commission of Investigation report into his crimes, and have called for a full public apology over how they were treated.
The six victims of Kenneally, who waived their anonymity following his conviction in 2016 so he could be named, were particularly critical of justice minister Jim O’Callaghan.
They said they were given less than 24 hours to consider the 419-page report before it was published without fanfare on Tuesday afternoon, and that no attempt had been made to meet or contact them.
All six said they felt vindicated after the commission, which lasted eight-and-a-half years, finally came to a close. It concluded that there had been a “clear and serious dereliction of duty” on the part of An Garda Síochána and other State bodies, which had left Kenneally at liberty to commit further crimes. This was despite his behaviour having been flagged to the authorities on multiple occasions in the 1980s.
Kenneally, a 75-year-old former basketball coach and accountant, is serving 19 years in consecutive sentences for the abuse of 15 boys between 1979 and 1990. The South East Commission of Investigation’s report notes that the number of victims is likely far higher.
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Mr O'Callaghan told a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party on Tuesday night that he will be recommending an apology be issued to the survivors, with which Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed.
It is understood Mr O'Callaghan was not asked to meet the survivors ahead of the publication of the report, but indicated he is happy to do so.
Survivors on Tuesday said they believe the likely number of victims is really “in the hundreds”, with the abuse carried out over a period of decades.
Survivor Colin Power described Mr O’Callaghan’s behaviour towards the victims as “disrespectful”.
He said they had no contact with the Department of Justice since the preliminary report was presented to Mr O'Callaghan seven weeks ago.
“I’m disappointed in the timeframe of receiving the report, to digest 419 pages overnight. I think he should have afforded us more time. But we’re well used to treatment like that,” Mr Power told a press conference in Dublin.
Fellow survivor Jason Clancy said the commission’s report vindicated the victims’ decision to waive their anonymity in order to ensure Kenneally could be named.
“We are totally vindicated,” he said, adding that the victims’ had agreed after Kenneally’s first criminal trial in 2016 that his conviction “was just the semi-final".
Mr O’Callaghan, a Fianna Fáil TD, on Tuesday issued a press release announcing the publication of the commission’s report and lauding the victims’ “perseverance and strength” — but without contacting them first.
The commission’s report details how Kenneally came from the Fianna Fáil Kenneally dynasty in Waterford, which produced three generations of TDs.
It outlines how An Garda Síochána approached his uncle, former TD Billy Kenneally, in 1987, before conducting an informal interview with the abuser.
During that interview, he acknowledged his crimes but was allowed to walk free, enabling him to continue abusing children for several more years.
Mr Power said survivors had dealt with three other justice ministers over the past decade, all of whom were from Fine Gael. He claimed they would have handled the situation differently.
“We’ve dealt with a lot of ministers. If they’d been in the position that Jim O’Callaghan is, they’d have met us beforehand,” he said.
Mr Clancy said of Mr O’Callaghan: “Yes, we want an apology, but Fianna Fáil as a party should be apologising to us for their role in this.
“The reason I’m angry with the minister is because it was such a simple thing to do, I cannot understand how he gave us less than 24 hours."
Barry Murphy, another survivor, noted that in 2017 he and the other victims had met Micheál Martin and Mr O’Callaghan when they were in opposition. They had been “promised the sun, moon, and the stars, saying that if Fianna Fáil had done wrong, they would admit that".
“Roll on six or seven years, and they’re in power, and they treat us like this,” he said.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for Mr O'Callaghan said: "Publishing the final report of the Commission of Investigation, Minister O’Callaghan paid tribute to the bravery of the victims and thanked them for their steadfast pursuit of truth and accountability.
"It is the minister’s hope that the victims find the report to be a thorough assessment of the significant issues of public concern that arose in relation to the abhorrent crimes of Bill Kenneally.
"Minister Jim O’Callaghan received the report from Justice White on Monday, June 8, and provided copies of the report to victims of Bill Keneally, through their legal representatives, on the same day. In deciding the timing of publication, the minister had to balance the needs of other victims who had engaged directly with the commission, and so publication of the report today was necessary to ensure those other victims and other people concerned could access the material without undue delay.
"The minister and the department will now reflect on the findings of the report. The minister believes that time should be afforded in the Dáil to debate the report and its findings. It is also important to give the victims time to consider the report and its findings.
"While no request has been made of the minister for a meeting, the minister will be happy to meet with the victims of Bill Kenneally."
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