Irish inquiry finds dereliction of duty in Kenneally case

A public inquiry has found that Irish authorities committed a "clear and serious dereliction of duty" in their handling of allegations against convicted pedophile Bill Kenneally, allowing him to abuse boys for decades. The report, published on June 9, 2026, also calls for the creation of a new criminal offence of misconduct in public office.

Kenneally, a former Waterford basketball coach now in his early seventies, is serving a prison sentence of over 18 years. He pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting 15 boys between 1979 and 1990, with his abuse spanning from 1970 to 1993. The Commission of Investigation, established in 2018 and chaired by retired judge Michael White, examined how allegations against him were handled by gardaí, Basketball Ireland, politicians, and the Catholic Church.

The report is scathing in its assessment of the garda response, particularly regarding a meeting on December 30, 1987. On that date, Kenneally confessed his actions to two senior officers in a Garda station boardroom. The inquiry found that gardaí had sufficient evidence at that time to arrest Kenneally on suspicion of false imprisonment and indecent assault and to search his home and car, where...