Basketball club sought resignation of child abuser after recognising him in RTÉ TV report

THE STATE INQUIRY examining how child abuse allegations against Bill Kenneally were handled by several bodies and organisations has heard how members of a basketball club in Waterford recognised Kenneally – who was one of their committee members – from a blurred RTÉ interview in which he admitted to sexual abuse.

Members of Waterford Vikings basketball club believed the man featured in the interview to be their clubmate based on the “voice and mannerisms” of the man questioned, and held a meeting that night, in April 2013, to discuss the concerns.

Kenneally had been interviewed anonymously as part of a report about historic child abuse allegations he faced.

The inquiry, chaired by Mr Justice Michael White in the Law Library in Dublin, is investigating allegations of collusion between Basketball Ireland and organisations including An Garda Síochána, the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore and the former South Eastern Health Board. Its scope also includes unnamed “political figures”.

Kenneally, now 72, is currently serving prison sentences for abusing 15 boys from 1979 to 1990.

Gardaí have confirmed they were aware of the abuse in 1987 but decided not to charge him, while Bill Kenneally’s cousin, former Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally, has said that he became aware in 2001.

He claimed he sought medical help for his relative, although this was disputed in evidence yesterday by the psychiatrist who Brendan Kenneally alleged he had asked to meet with Bill Kenneally.

Bill Kenneally was involved in administrative and managing roles in Irish basketball from the 1970s to 2013. This included him being part of the Irish representation at world games for senior and college-level basketball in Japan and New York in the 1990s, but also at a local level through Waterford Vikings club.

In testimony on behalf of the club, the inquiry also heard that gardaí had never approached the club with any concerns about Bill Kenneally. The inquiry previously heard that senior Garda members received a confession from him in 1987 that he had abused a number of children.

Knowledge of allegations

Ruth Sheehan, who was the secretary of the Vikings at the time, told the Commission of Investigation that committee members agreed to ask Kenneally if it was indeed him in the television report and seek his resignation if so.

Sheehan told the inquiry that “none of our child members had ever been in Bill Kenneally’s presence” in Waterford Vikings club. 

She said this was confirmed by all committee members present at the meeting called in the wake of the broadcast, and that chairman Michael Evans agreed to phone Kenneally after the meeting to ask about the interview.

“Michael Evans rang him that night and Bill Kenneally confirmed that was him on the RTÉ programme,” Sheehan recalled. She said Kenneally agreed to resign and sent a letter to the committee, in which he “wished the club the best of luck” for the future.

Complaints made in 2013 by one man who had been repeatedly assaulted by Kenneally as a youth led to progress in the case against the abuser. The man realised Kenneally was on the committee of the club and reported his allegations to gardaí which eventually led to his sentencing for the abuse of five boys in 2016.

When asked by a barrister representing several victims, Barra McGrory, whether she would have expected the club to be informed by gardaí about child abuse given Kenneally’s “key” status in its committee, Sheehan said she was unsure.

“I don’t know to tell you the truth. There was no allegation made at the time and he was involved in the senior club and not the juvenile club,” she said.

Questioned further by McGrory on whether she would have been concerned to know whether a member had abused children, Sheehan said the club would have liked “to be aware” of the allegations.

McGrory pointed out that the club “did actually take significant action” when they found out in 2013, leading to Kenneally’s resignation.

Sheehan said the child abuser would not have been reelected to its committee if it had come to light sooner. “Once we would have found out, we would not have had him on the committee,” she said.

Outlining the structure of the club, Sheehan said that at the start of Kenneally’s association with the club it had no juvenile section and only a senior team.

A juvenile section had been formed a year or so prior to the night of the RTÉ broadcast, but Sheehan claimed that there was little mixing between the two sections as they wanted to keep “funds” for the sides protected.

‘Informal’ basketball

Questioned by junior counsel for Basketball Ireland Robert McTernaghan, Sheehan agreed that “informal recreational basketball activity” on public courts in parks is “completely independent and not associated” with Vikings Basketball club.

The commission has previously heard that Bill Kenneally approached some victims while they were playing sport in public parks and housing estate fields.

McTernaghan added that garda vetting processes had been introduced “many months” before Bill Kenneally resigned, as Waterford Vikings formed its juvenile section.

McTernaghan said the Kilkenny/South Eastern Basketball Board, which is part of Basketball Ireland, contained no reference to Bill Kenneally in its minutes before allegations emerged in April 2013.

In evidence last year, Basketball Ireland’s former commissioner John Landy said the organisation would have removed Kenneally from the organisation if it had learned of the allegations sooner.

Witness ‘mix-up’

Mr Justice White told the inquiry this afternoon that a witness due to appear today would have to be rescheduled.

Tom Murphy, a father of one victim, Barry Murphy, was due to appear to give evidence.

“There’s been some sort of mix-up. He was certainly written to and it was confirmed by telephone two or three days ago,” the judge said.

“His understanding is that he wasn’t on call today,” Mr Justice White added, apologising to representatives in the room.