A “clear and serious dereliction of duty” by two senior gardaí, the knowledge of abuse within a Waterford political dynasty and the historical blindness of the Irish State towards child abuse are all detailed in a Commission of Investigation report into the “cruel,” “exploitative” and “horrific” crimes of the serial child sex abuser Bill Kenneally.The former basketball coach and member of a well-known Fianna Fáil family was given “objectively favourable treatment” when his crimes first came to the attention of Waterford gardaí in 1987. Kenneally – who sexually abused, tortured, restrained and blackmailed boys who he had groomed and fed alcohol – made admissions of abuse to gardaí at that time but instead of being investigated he received a warning and a referral to a psychologist. This is despite the fact that then acting chief supt Sean Cashman and acting supt PJ Hayes “could have been in no doubt” that at least one boy had been restrained and sexually assaulted, and that there was a probability that a second boy and a possibility that a third boy had also been abused. Kenneally pleaded guilty in late 2015 and again in 2022 to multiple cases of child sex abuse in Waterford. He is in jail for the abuse of 15 children between 1979 and 1990. While the report found that the 1987 warning from gardaí had “changed” the paedophile’s behaviour, it “did not stop his sexual abuse”. The South East Commission of Investigation, led by retired High Court judge Michael White, now wants “urgent consideration” of a new offence for public officials who are guilty of a serious dereliction of duty. It also criticised the South Eastern Health Board for failing to follow through on complaints of sexual abuse by Kenneally that could have led to him being caught much sooner. The Government will offer an apology to the victims of Kenneally. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday evening that he believed the victims were owed an apology from Government and suggested that they be offered one. The proposal was supported by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.O’Callaghan said earlier on Tuesday that he would now “reflect” on the findings of the report. He said he hoped that victims “of the abhorrent crimes of Kenneally will find the report to be a detailed and thorough assessment of the significant issues of public concern that arose in relation to his crimes.”[ Who is Bill Kenneally? The basketball coach whose crimes had ‘lifelong impact on victims’Opens in new window ]Survivors of sexual abuse by Kenneally have called for a public apology from the State for the assaults they suffered and for the “decades they were forced to fight for a truth that should never have been buried”. Diarmuid Brecknell, the Phoenix Law solicitor representing 11 victims, said the survivors had been “vindicated”. Some were critical of O’Callaghan for only sharing the 417 page report on the eve of its publication, and for not meeting with Kenneally’s victims in advance. The Department of Justice said O’Callaghan “will be happy to meet with the victims of Bill Kenneally”.Survivors of abuse by Bill Kenneally had been 'vindicated' following the report. Pictured are Jason Clancy, Barry Murphy, Colin Power, Kevin Keating and Paul Walsh. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times Kenneally’s uncles were former Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kenneally snr and senior local cleric Monsignor John Shine. His cousin, the son of Billy Kenneally snr, is former Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally. The report said that people in “responsible positions,” including Shine and Billy Kenneally snr, were aware of Bill Kenneally’s sexual abuse from as early as 1987 and were also made aware in 2001 that Bill Kenneally had continued abusing children after the late 1980s. Brendan Kenneally – who became aware of his cousin’s abuse in 2001 – was criticised for failing to report him to child protection services, for not asking him to resign from a basketball club and for allowing him to continue to canvass and act as a tallyman for Fianna Fáil until 2011. At least two victims gave evidence of being canvassed by Bill Kenneally. The report raised questions about Irish laws and frontline services, and said that the State was “historically blind to sexual abuse operating beneath the surface”.“The difficulty of dealing with this problem historically and continuing today should not be underestimated. Those who sexually abuse children are by their nature and obsessions secretive and cunning. It was and is difficult to detect and prove,” it said.“Children were silenced by the shame of it and also their inability to articulate the horrible things happening to them. On occasions when it was articulated people were not listening.”[ Former TD should have later told agencies of his cousin Bill Kenneally’s abuse – reportOpens in new window ]