Survivors of abuse by sports coach call for accountability

Survivors of sexual abuse by sports coach Bill Kenneally have questioned how he could have been allowed remain unaccountable for his abuse for almost 30 years after gardaí were alerted to his predatory behaviour. Accountant Kenneally (65) of Laragh, Summerville Avenue, Waterford was jailed for 14 years and two months on Friday for the abuse of 10 boys between January 1984 and December 1987 but details emerged at his hearing that gardaí were alerted to his abuse as far back as 1987 (see panel).

Survivors Jason Clancy and Colin Power said they were "amazed" to learn that when the family of another abuse victim, identified as W, went to gardaí in 1987, a meeting was arranged between senior officers and Kenneally, through his uncle, former Fianna Fáil TD, the late Billy Kenneally.

Mr Clancy said: “I know back in 1987 if I was Bill Kenneally’s age, if there was a complaint made against me, I don’t think they would be going to ring my uncle, I think they’d be coming straight to me but that is the way the Kenneallys were treated back in the day.

“It should have been followed through. All the gardaí had to do at the time was follow Bill Kenneally one night and if they were out by his favourite spot, which was the New Ross lay-by, they would have got him red-handed any time they wanted to.”

Mr Power said it was important to differentiate between the more recent garda investigation, which led to Kenneally's conviction, and what happened with gardaí back in 1987 but in his view what happened back in 1987 was "negligent".

“In 1987, the guards were approached about this guy and although there wasn’t a formal complaint, in my book it was negligent of them not to do something. Do we believe he just stopped like that? We have no evidence to the contrary [but] not for one second do I believe he stopped.”

Both Mr Clancy and Mr Power, along with fellow survivors Kevin Keating and Barry Murphy, who also waived their right to anonymity, said they wanted accountability but were still unclear what route they were going to pursue to try and establish the full facts of what happened in 1987.

Mr Clancy said Kenneally had admitted to gardaí abusing 20 boys and some 54 boys had made statements to gardaí as part of the current investigation but it was unclear how Kenneally had been able to go undetected for so long when gardaí knew about his abuse in 1987.

1987: Meeting with gardaí but no formal complaint

Sports coach Bill Kenneally, who warned his victims that no one would believe them if they reported him as he was a member of the powerful Kenneally Fianna Fáil dynasty in Waterford city, admitted to gardaí as far back as 1987 that he was engaging in sexual abuse.

During Kenneally’s two-day sentencing hearing, Det Garda Maureen Neary told how Kenneally revealed during a search of his house in December 2012 that he had met gardaí in 1987 after the family of another boy , W, went to gardaí, concerned he may have abused their son. Defence counsel Michael Counihan SC said a meeting was arranged through Kenneally’s uncle (former Fianna Fáil TD and Mayor of Waterford the late Billy Kenneally) and he went to Waterford Garda station on December 30th, 1987, where he met with two senior officers.

Mr Counihan said during a 90-minute meeting with Supt Sean Cashman and Insp PJ Hayes, Kenneally made a verbal admission about his activity with the boy (W) but the boy’s family opted not to make a formal complaint for personal reasons.