Bill Kenneally inquiry: Waterford basketball club say gardaí never raised concerns with them

A Waterford basketball club, which included a children’s team, would not have allowed convicted paedophile Bill Kenneally stay on as a “key member” if gardaí had informed them of concerns about him.

Ruth Sheehan, former secretary of Waterford Vikings basketball club and co-founder of its juvenile section, told a commission of investigation examining the State’s and other agencies’ response to allegations made against the 72-year-old former sports coach that gardaí had “never” approached the club.

Giving evidence by video-link on Thursday, Ms Sheehan said Kenneally’s resignation was demanded by the board in April 2013 after RTÉ broadcast an investigation in which Kenneally had admitted to child abuse. He resigned from the club in a letter dated 23rd April 2013, though it is thought this letter was posted on 24th April that year.

Kenneally, a member of a well-known Waterford Fianna Fáil family, is currently in jail for multiple child sex-abuse offences committed between 1979 and 1990.

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A verbal admission of child sex abuse was made by him to a senior garda in 1987, but his first conviction did not come not until many years later. The Garda inquiry in the late 1980s did not continue because a victim did not want to give a statement.

There is no allegation that Kenneally abused any member of Waterford Vikings basketball club.

Ms Sheehan said she, her partner and two others set up the juvenile section of the club in 2005. It was “very separate” from the senior section.

Barra McGrory KC, instructed by Phoenix Law, for a number of Kenneally’s victims asked whether during her association with the club the guards had approached her or the club with concerns about Kenneally. “Never. The whole time,” she said.

Asked whether she would have expected, given that Kenneally had been “key member” of the club, to have been informed of concerns, she said: “Well, I don’t know to tell you the truth because at that time there was no allegations made. At the time he was involved in the senior club and not in the juvenile club so maybe they didn’t feel there was a need.”

Mr McGrory asked would she not have been concerned to know, whether he had been involved in the senior club or not, of concerns that a member had been “involved in this type of activity”.

“Well I suppose ... yes, we would like to be aware of it.”

“Because you did take significant action in 2013 when you did find out?”

“Yes, we did.”

“I presume that, had you been notified that the situation earlier you would have taken similar action then?”

“Yes, well he would not have been reelected on the committee back than. Once we had found out we would not have had him on the committee,” said Ms Sheehan.

Mr McGrory asked if, given that the club was small, whether there was cross-over by personnel between the junior and senior sections. She said the only thing the two sections shared was insurance. Once a year, she added, one of the juvenile coaches was invited to attend a board meeting and report on how the juveniles were “getting on”.

She agreed with Robert McTernaghan, for Basketball Ireland, that Waterford Vikings had decided, at a board meeting on 6th December 2012, to obtain child protection training and Garda vetting for all coaches and members involved with children “five calendar months” before the RTÉ programme and Kenneally’s resignation from the club. Child protection training was provided by Waterford Partnership.

Ms Sheehan noted neither Waterford Vikings nor Basketball Ireland of which it is an affiliate had or has any role in the organisation or playing of basketball in for recreation on public courts.

The commission of investigation continues.

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