A report into how gardaí dealt with the allegations against paedophile Kenneally said the investigation was “unprofessional, rushed, and inappropriate”.
In Waterford in the 1980's, the locals would have a kick around, with Kenneally being one of them. It has been reported that he would use sports, particularly coaching basketball, as a way to lure and molest young boys.
Gardaí were informed by Kenneally's behaviour by one of the young boys fathers, however the truth lay hidden for over 28 years.
It wasn't until 2016 that Kenneally was charged and is currently serving 19 years in prison for the sexual abuse of 15 young boys between 1979 and 1990 following two criminal prosecutions.
Kenneally would torture the young boys, this abuse was sadistic in nature as he would strip, handcuff and photograph his victims. Afterwards, he would wave polaroids in his victims faces to taunt them, often saying nobody would believe them due to his strong political connections.
His grandfather Willie Kenneally, uncle Billie Kenneally and cousin Brendan Kenneally were all Fianna Fáil TDs for Waterford.
Another one of his uncles was a significant figure in the Catholic church in Waterford. Kenneally was sent to him who then refered him to see a doctor after his family recieved word of his behaviour.
In 2012, Kenneally's house was searched and a year later he was arrested.
The superintendent, Sean Cashman, was in charge of the case and outlined details on RTE's Prime Time back in 2016. Mr Cashman said: "He [Kenneally] was a broken man. He was absolutely emotional. He was shaking like a leaf. He was in terrible shape."
"I thought he said, I know why I’m here, lads, and I’m glad to be here because I want to be looked after or words to that effect. Now he might have said, I want to be looked after, or I want to be treated. We did not have evidence to charge him… I have known a case where a man came into the station at one time and admitted murder that he hadn't done," he explained.
"But he [Kenneally] did admit it, and I have to say, I knew he was the culprit. It wasn't a question of his imagination, I knew he was the culprit. But, I didn't have a statement from an injured party, and I know that people were talking about that this was a political family, and there was a cover. There was no cover up at all, and the irony of the of the whole situation really is that the best help I got to try and put him where he should have been, before the court, was from his uncle," he continued.
The report describes how Kenneally admitted to the sexual abuse allegations and that the investigation started to go "badly wrong from here to the conclusion”. “It was unprofessional, rushed, and inappropriate,” it states.
The report also looks into Cashman's decision to contact Kenneally's uncle before interviewing him. “There was no need to do that, nor was any thought given to the implications,” the report states.
The report concludes that Cashman “risked compromising the investigation before it started” as Kenneally could have destroyed the evidence before the investigation even started.
Gardaí were informed about the abuse in 1987, however Kenneally was not arrested until 2013. His victims have been asking if Kenneally's political connections protected him from facing justice.
The purpose of the inquiry is to examine how State authorities, the Catholic clergy, politicians, sporting organisations dealt with the sexual abuse allegations.
The final report will go to cabinet before it is published today. Tánaiste Simon Harris said that the victims have waited a "very long time" for this report and he hopes that today will give them "some answers after such a long, long period of time".
