Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly apologises to victims of Waterford paedophile
Commissioner Kelly acknowledged the “serious inaction” of the force in dealing with the case in 1987
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has apologised to the victims of Waterford paedophile Bill Kenneally.
It comes after the Commission of Investigation into Kenneally’s crimes found that there had been a “clear dereliction of duty” by An Garda Síochána in their handling of the case.
In a statement to the media yesterday, Commissioner Kelly acknowledged the mistakes of the force in dealing with the case in 1987.
He stated: “An Garda Síochána fully accepts the findings of the Commission.
“An Garda Síochána acknowledges and regrets the serious inaction of the former Acting Chief Superintendent and Acting Superintendent in charge of the original investigation into Bill Kenneally in 1987.
“An Garda Síochána acknowledges the impact that this ‘serious dereliction of duty’ by the former Acting Chief Superintendent had on victims.”
Commissioner Kelly welcomed the Commission’s findings in relation to the 2013 investigation into Kenneally’s crimes.
In this regard, the Commission stated: “The quality of the overall (second) investigation was superb, culminating in two separate criminal trials on indictment, where ultimately Bill Kenneally pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 15 boys and received a lengthy custodial sentence.
“There was no mala fides (bad faith) or cover up on the part of An Garda Síochána. Experienced Garda officers had been assigned to deal with it.
“No one observing the evidence of these officers to the Commission could be in any doubt as to their competence and professionalism.
“The Commission received extensive co-operation from the Waterford District and An Garda Síochána generally.”
However, the Garda Commissioner apologised to the victims for a lack of communication during that time.
“An Garda Síochána acknowledges and regrets that victims Jason Clancy and A7 were not communicated with properly in the initial stages of this second investigation.
“An Garda Síochána engaged extensively with the Commission and established a Liaison Team under a Chief Superintendent to ensure the timely provision of approximately 25,000 documents.”
He went on to highlight the work that has been done to improve the gardaí’s handling of such cases.
“Since the time covered by this report, An Garda Síochána has invested significantly in the investigation of domestic and sexual abuse.
“This has included establishing Divisional Protective Service Units across the country with each one having highly trained specialist investigators to ensure victims are heard and dealt with professionalism and empathy.”
Commissioner Kelly concluded his statement by apologising for the way in which the gardaí handled the case.
“As Garda Commissioner, I wish to offer my personal apology to the victims of Bill Kenneally for the significant failures of An Garda Síochána, we fell far short of what is expected of us,” he stated.
The Garda Commissioner’s comments came after Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued a State apology in the Dáil yesterday.
Tánaiste Simon Harris, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and several other TDs also made contributions and commended Kenneally’s victims for their bravery.
Kenneally died in prison at the age of 75 last month.
He was 10 years into his 19-year sentence for the indecent assault of 15 young boys in Waterford between 1979 and 1990.
His death came just over a week after the publication of a report investigating the State response to his crimes