Simon Harris: State Apology to Survivors of Bill Keneally

Go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle. I want to join with the Taoiseach in this State Apology to the survivors of the abuser Bill Keneally. This moment has come about because of their bravery, because of their tenacity, because of their motivation to protect others from the horrors that they endured, and from their willingness to relive the trauma of the horrendous abuse inflicted upon them to ensure that justice was finally done. I want to acknowledge the work of Judge Michael White for bringing this arduous process to a conclusion and indeed the way he went about his work. The Commission Report is a detailed and thorough assessment of the justified and serious public concern raised by the grievous crimes which were committed. Whether named or unnamed, the extraordinary testimony of witnesses to the Commission of Investigation is an act of great courage. In their young lives, they were the victims of monstrous evil, and their vulnerability was increased by the impunity with which Keneally perpetrated his atrocities. Too many warning signs were missed, too many opportunities to intervene were lost, too many people who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable. The systems of church, state and society that should have safeguarded children failed in their most basic and profound duty. And the consequence of that failure was that abuse continued, victims suffered, and justice was delayed for far, far too long. Regardless of any standards of the time, they were children who should have been protected, not abandoned to depravity and despair. In 1985, a 14-year-old boy walked all alone into Waterford Garda station and he reported that he had been abused by Keneally. The Garda spoke to him at the counter and told him he needed to have a parent present as he was too young. The Garda did not speak to him in private, did not attempt to contact his parents, did not offer to even bring him home. Despite Keneally having been named as an abuser in a Garda station, no effort was made to investigate. The Commission's report tells us that 11 of the 25 adult complainants were being abused in 1985. I want to recognise that that includes survivors who are with us here today in Dáil Éireann. This underlines the grave significance of this missed opportunity, which was most regrettably a repeated pattern of many. The report tells us that the pattern of activity by Keneally was becoming much more noticeable from 1985 on, and yet we know that he was not brought to justice prior to a formal complaint by Jason Clancy in November 2012, who was the first incredibly brave victim to come forward. I've heard Jason tell a story of a photograph, a photograph of his under-11 soccer team. In this picture of 13 boys from all over Waterford who were only connected by playing soccer for bows, six of them were abused by Keneally. That simple, innocent photograph demonstrates just how prolific the activities of this abuser were, while multiple systems failed to protect children and failed to bring him to justice. Even after Keneally made admissions of his terrible crimes, he wasn't brought to justice and he was allowed to continue to abuse children. The truth emerged not because systems worked as they should have, but because survivors refused to give up. Faced with disbelief, silence, intimidation and enormous personal trauma, they persisted. They carried a burden that never should have been theirs to carry, and the apology today is a testament simply to their courage, their resilience and their determination. They forced institutions to confront uncomfortable truths and to ensure that future generations would know what happened. This led to the report that the Minister for Justice published last month, which has shone a light on the clear and serious dereliction of duty which allowed the prolonged grooming and abuse of so many boys on so many occasions, in so many locations, with such unimaginable levels of depravity. The Commission's words are stark. It says, during the period of his activity, any young boy who came under his influence was at risk. It goes on to say, as reflected in the sentence of 18 years and eight months imposed and upheld on appeal, these were serious offences which have had a lifelong impact on the victims and their families. His crimes were cruel and exploitive. He was intelligent and manipulative, an expert at grooming children by developing that trust and affection but also using fear. He used alcohol, money and gifts to assist in grooming and in the commission of the offences. Many of the boys had never consumed alcohol before being introduced to it by Bill Keneally. The harrowing victim impact statements republished in the Commission report so very clearly communicate the pain and the suffering of the abuse as it happened and the lasting effects throughout the later lives of the survivors. The words of Judge Eugene O'Kelly at the sentencing hearing in 2016 are striking. He said, the abuse has had a profound and long-lasting effect on all of you. Some of you have suffered and some continue to suffer from alcohol dependency and other addictions. Many of you have disclosed depression. One has attempted suicide. Family life and relationships have suffered. Education and consequently advancement in life has been hampered. All of you have been made to suffer from feelings of fear, shame, guilt, emotions that none of you should have had to endure. You have all been robbed from the innocence of a carefree adolescence for no better reason than to satisfy a paedophile predator's actions. I know that within those victim impact statements and in some of your public comments, the support of loved ones through all of the consequences of the abuse you suffered has been an act of enormous importance to you and an act of great love. This is their day too. The Commission report illustrates that the Irish state, through its laws, through its services for children, sex education and awareness, and the operation and insight of its frontline services such as Angarda Síochána and health boards, were historically blind to sexual abuse operating beneath the surface. While there may not have been outright collusion, this at the very least institutional blind eye, combined with those who shielded and covered up for paedophiles, allowed abuse to persist in the shadows. The report tells us that children were silenced by the shame of it, but they were also silenced by their inability to articulate the horrible things that were happening to them. On occasions when it was articulated, people refused to listen. From an analysis of the complaints made to Angarda Síochána from 2012 onwards, Connealy's targeting of young boys for abuse was intense during the period from 1978 to 1987. This involved activity which was observable. By late 1987, many people, including those in responsible positions, were aware that he had sexually abused children, but nothing appropriate was done in all of that time. When a complaint was made by the father of a victim in 1987, the most serious of information was now in the possession of the Gardaí, but a decision had been made that Connealy would be given a warning and referred for psychiatric treatment or counselling. This, I know many survivors feel, was a moment of further empowerment and a sense of invincibility. The Commission report identifies a litany of deficiencies which arose from this approach, and this is the clear and serious dereliction of duty which occurred and which cannot be explained away by the passage or the standards of the time. How much pain and how much suffering might have been avoided had justice been served when it should have been. The Commission report observes that Irish society, from bitter experience, now knows that sexual exploitation of children can come from all sources. We owe it to children to maintain our vigilance, and these words must ring in our ears always. And I know that for all the survivors of Connealy, and all that they have endured in their long fight for justice, that this would be amongst their greatest wish. There is a powerful symbolism in the fact that those who were once vulnerable young boys in Waterford, failed by the State and its institutions, are here today to hear the State acknowledge its failures. Children who were abandoned by systems that should have protected them now stand with dignity and strength at the heart of our National Parliament. Your presence is a reminder not only of the wrongs that were done, but of the extraordinary resilience of those who endured them. Today, it is certainly not the institutions that command our respect. It is the survivors. Their courage has brought us to this moment. Their voices have ensured that the truth can no longer be ignored or hidden. For all that you suffered at the hands of your brutal abuser, and for all the years that he was not brought to justice, and for all that was done to impede and delay that justice, we are truly sorry. Like the Commission, we hope this apology can bring some peace of mind. Today, I join with others in saluting your courage and your resilience.