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25th Sep 2016

Former TD admits to knowing about child sex abuse and not reporting it to the Gardaí

Carl Kinsella

A report this morning suggests that former Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State Brendan Kenneally was aware of his cousin’s child abuse offences, and did not contact the Gardaí.

Kenneally’s cousin, Bill Kenneally, who was a basketball coach, was jailed for 14 years earlier this year having been found guilty of abusing 10 boys in the 1980s.

Brendan Kenneally, as reported by the Independent, admits to having known about the abuse since 2002 but did not report the matter to any authorities. He was a TD for Waterford from 1989-2002 and 2007-2011.

Kenneally is quoted in the Independent as having said “The first time I became aware of it was in early 2002 when someone very close to a victim told me.”

“I was shocked and blown away by it and nearly fell off the chair. I made sure certain things were done and I got him assessed medically, which found he wasn’t still offending.”

The report also says that Kenneally’s victims want the roles of Fianna Fáil and the Catholic Church in the abuse investigated.

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Fianna Fáil