Bill Kenneally claims he did not ruin victims' lives as 'they took 30 years to come forward'

He did, however, allow had he been approached by gardaí in 1985 regarding allegations against him, he “quite probably” would have admitted to his actions.

That year, one of his victims testified he had been abused by Kenneally, had slept on what had happened, and then had made a complaint to a Garda station, only to be turned away as he had not been accompanied by an adult.

Asked what gardaí would have found if they had searched his home in 1985, Kenneally replied “handcuffs, might have been twine, scissors”. 

“They might have been in the car. A red bag, handcuffs, scissors, probably a flashlamp,” he said, adding the polaroid photographs he had taken of his victims in compromising positions — which he subsequently destroyed — were “probably in a shoebox in a bedroom” at the time.

Kenneally disputed giving alcohol and cash to 13- and 14-year-old boys amounted to “ingratiating” himself to them, claiming he had done so with both boys and girls, and that such behaviour was “just my nature”.

'Needed to stop'

He acknowledged that, by the time he had an informal interview with two gardaí, Superintendent Sean Cashman and Inspector PJ Hayes, in December 1987, he “needed to stop”.

Asked by barrister for two of the victims Ray Motherway how the two gardaí had responded to him telling them he had not sodomised his victims, but rather indecently assaulted them, Kenneally replied the men’s reaction “was more relief”.

He said he could not speculate as to if the gardaí had considered indecent assault as being less severe than sodomy, saying “society was coming out of that view, which led me to come out of that view as well”.

Asked if the gardaí had shrugged their shoulders, he said: “I’d say society did as well”. 

Kenneally claimed he had ceased his abuse in the wake of his informal interview.

The convicted paedophile repeatedly took issue with testimony given by his victims to the commission as to the extent of his abuse.

One boy had said he had asked Kenneally to stop pulling a string used to restrain him tighter and tighter until he cried and shouted for it to end, only for Kenneally to tell him to “shut up as the neighbours might hear”.

Put to him by counsel for seven of the victims Barra McGrory that the evidence showed he did not stop when asked, as he had stated in evidence on Tuesday, Kenneally replied “I believe that to be false testimony”.

Denied burning victim

He denied that he had ever burned another victim with a cigarette, saying “if it happened I would be able to recall it”.

He further denied his cousin, former TD Brendan Kenneally, had allocated a hotel room for him and a boy for an overnight stay on a basketball trip to Cork in 1981, during which the victim alleged he had suffered “horrific abuse”.

He said he could not remember he and his cousin ever having attended a basketball trip together, despite the two men having been co-founders of the Thomas Francis Meaghers basketball club in 1973.

Regarding his most recent criminal conviction handed down in 2023 for the abuse of five boys, Kenneally claimed the trial “wasn’t fair” and had pleaded guilty because he “gave up”.

At one stage on Wednesday morning — when confronted with allegations he had pulled one victim into a forest before taking out a lamp, a rope, duct tape and giving the victim alcohol — Kenneally said the terms of reference of the commission precluded him from being questioned about his actions.

Chair of the commission Justice Michael White moved to allow such testimony out of respect for the victims while briefly bringing the meeting into private session, only for the journalists present to be recalled at the request of the victims.

When asked about the testimony of the aforementioned victim A8, who said he had approached gardaí in 1985 regarding the abuse, Kenneally replied he had read about the story “in evidence”. However, Justice White reminded him that he pleaded guilty to it.

That was one of several interjections by the chair, who repeatedly expressed his “serious concerns” that Kenneally had “resiled” his admissions of guilt at his two criminal trials before the commission.

'Inducements'

Justice White quoted the “gospel evidence” given to Kenneally’s 2016 trial by his own defence which stated Kenneally had used “inducements” including cigarettes, beer and money to get his victims to enter his home or get into his car, and that he had developed “distorted cognitions” which allowed him to think the boys had “no objection” to the abuse they were suffering. 

Justice White noted the evidence was “on the record” to which Kenneally replied he “accepted that”.

Earlier, under questioning by Mr Motherway, Kenneally noted he had had “problems” since suffering a “brain aneurysm”, having been attacked in prison in April 2023.

Justice White, however, noted Kenneally was a voluntary witness. “He is a very intelligent man. He knows exactly what is going on,” he said.

The commission will next meet after Easter when counsel for An Garda Síochána will question Kenneally.

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