Victims of serial paedophile Bill Kenneally will receive a State apology from Taoiseach Micheál Martin this afternoon. Kenneally was able to target young boys repeatedly while acting as a basketball coach in Waterford town. A Commission of Investigation into his crimes found repeated failures among State agencies, most notably An Garda Síochána and the South Eastern Health Board who knew about Kenneally’s abuse but failed to stop him. The commission, chaired by Judge Michael White, noted there had been a “dereliction of duty” on the part of two senior gardaí, then-acting chief supt Sean Cashman and then-acting superintendent PJ Hayes, who were told by a victim in 1987 that Kenneally was an abuser, but failed to stop him. White also criticised the South Eastern Health Board for failing to follow through on complaints of sexual abuse that could have led to him being caught much sooner.Kenneally pleaded guilty in late 2015 and again in 2022 to multiple cases of child sex abuse in Waterford. A member of a well-known Fianna Fáil family, Kenneally was jailed for the abuse of 15 children between 1979 and 1990. He died in prison last month. White noted in a report arising from his investigation that Kenneally was not brought to justice until a formal complaint was made by one of his victims, Jason Clancy, in December 2012.“His crimes were cruel and exploitative. He was intelligent and manipulative and an expert at grooming children by developing trust and affection,” said White.Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan met a number of victims of Kenneally following the publication of the report and pledged that a formal State apology to them will be approved by the Cabinet before the Dáil’s summer recess.