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Irish government to apologise to victims of paedophile in parliament

Gabija GataveckaiteDublin correspondent
News imagePA Media Five men stood on a street, most of whom are looking at the camera. They are all wearing shirts and most are wearing suit jackets. PA Media
Jason Clancy (first from left) said the apology 'adds closure' for victims

The Irish government is to apologise to victims of a paedophile in the Dáil (Irish parliament) on Tuesday.

Bill Kenneally was the perpetrator of one of the most serious cases of paedophilia uncovered in the Irish state.

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the abuse of 15 young boys in the south east city of Waterford between 1979 and 1990.

Irish authorities believe at least 14 other boys were abused by him.

The basketball coach was connected to a Fianna Fáil family and the apology delivered on Tuesday will be by a taoiseach (Irish prime minister) from this party.

A Commission of Investigation report published recently into the state's handling of complaints by victims found there was a clear and serious dereliction of duty by senior gardaí (Irish police), even by the standards of the time.

Kenneally died in prison just days after the publication of the report.

He did not show any remorse for his crimes.

Kenneally admitted sexually abusing teenage boys when he was spoken to by senior gardaí in 1987 and claimed he gave them the names of seven boys.

However, he was not arrested or prosecuted, and he continued to abuse children.

News imageRTÉ A man with grey hard stands in a car park. He is wearing a blue and white shirt and a navy blue jacket.RTÉ
Bill Kenneally was one of Ireland's worst sex predators

He had no further contact from gardaí until 2012 when a complaint was made by one of his victims, Jason Clancy, and a full investigation finally began.

Kenneally groomed children using trust, affection and fear, threatening them, plying them with alcohol and offering them money.

He restrained them, tortured and abused them and photographed many of them with a Polaroid camera, using the photographs as "effective blackmail" to preserve the boys' silence, according to the chairperson of the Commission of Investigation.

The commission also criticised the failure of Kenneally's cousin, former Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally, to contact child protection agencies after he was made aware of the abuse in 2001.

Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, Clancy, who made the first formal complaint and fought for the Commission of Investigation to be set up, said the apology "adds closure" for victims after a "hard battle".

He said the state apology will be accepted.

Clancy said an apology from Fianna Fáil itself "would be nice" but if it has to be "dragged out" it is "not an apology".

He said Fianna Fail power was used to keep the abuse "covered up".