A STATE INQUIRY investigating child abuse has heard that a witness who met with senior gardaí to discuss serious allegations cannot recall when the conversations took place or who gave him the information prompting him to go to gardaí.
It was the Commission of Investigation’s second attempt at trying to find out when and why Tom Murphy allegedly met with Superintendent Sean Cashman and Inspector PJ Hayes in Waterford Garda Station to discuss local sports coach Bill Kenneally.
Murphy – whose son Barry was a victim of Kenneally – alleged that he met with the senior gardaí to express his “outrage” at their handling of the sex offender, following a 1987 investigation into Kenneally.
Kenneally was released by gardaí on Stephen’s Day that year despite admitting to the abuse of children. He remained free until he was jailed in 2016.
Appearing before the inquiry in the Law Library in Dublin, Murphy said he didn’t learn of his son’s involvement until years later, when Kenneally was brought to court for the 2016 case.
Lawyers for An Garda Síochána and Cashman disputed Murphy’s claim that the meeting took place while Cashman was still a serving garda. They maintained that the discussions took place elsewhere in Waterford some years after Cashman’s retirement.
Formed six years ago following a campaign by victims, the Commission of Investigation is examining how State agencies and organisations handled reports of Kenneally’s crimes.
Chaired by retired High Court judge Mr Justice Michael White, it has heard from senior gardaí, the clergy, the former South Eastern Health Board and a number of retired Fianna Fáil politicians and party members as part of its work.
Appearing for a second time today, Murphy told the inquiry that he wanted to meet with gardaí to express his “outrage” at their decision not to charge Kenneally despite the accusations of “serious” abuse of children.
However, the inquiry has again not been able to establish when the meeting took place or from whom Murphy learned of the garda investigation into Kenneally.
The inquiry heard that Murphy’s family received a phone call from another parent in the summer of 1987 warning them to “beware” of Kenneally.
While Murphy at one point said he believed he met with senior gardaí on foot of the phone call, he later retracted this as it emerged this came prior to the garda investigation during Christmas week later that year.
Murphy, whose car dealership was then based near the garda station, said he went there to find out why gardaí had let Kenneally away with a “rap on the knuckles” despite admitting to abusing children.
He alleged he recalled Cashman saying that the sports coach left the station a “chastened boy” who would not go on to offend.
But despite being questioned at length this morning about how he learned of the December 1987 meeting, Murphy said he could not recall who told him about “serious” allegations of abuse and resulting investigation.
He said Kenneally’s abuse of children was “common knowledge” and that “the dogs in the street knew” about it.
“I don’t know what single thing it was that prompted me to go there [ the garda station], but it prompted me to go there,” Murphy said.
Barra McGrory, a barrister for victims, including Murphy’s son Barry, and instructed by Phoenix Law, said that the information must have come to the car dealer from “someone specific”.
“It’s all very well to use phrases like ‘dogs in the street’, but a very tiny circle of people knew that Bill Kenneally was brought to a garda station,” McGrory said.
In response, Murphy said that “more than a small circle of people knew” about Kenneally.
However, he said he “still can’t pinpoint the reason” why he went to the garda station.
Senior counsel for An Garda Siochána, Paul Carroll, noted that when Murphy was initially contacted by the commission in 2019 to provide a written statement, he had said that he never made any report to gardaí about Kenneally.
Murphy said his answer at the time was due to him believing that he was asked about making a formal report to gardaí.
Asked by McGrory whether a former Waterford Fianna Fáil TD called Donie Ormonde had told him about the 1987 meeting, Murphy said he didn’t believe so.
The inquiry previously heard that the two have long been friends.
“I doubt it very much,” Murphy said. “I know Donie Ormonde very well. We were on the board of Waterford Local Radio . . . but I doubt it very much [that Ormonde told him].”
The inquiry will conclude this week with Kenneally to appear as the final witness.
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