Crime World

 This week, Bill Kenneally, one of Ireland's worst ever child sexual predators, died at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise.

The 75-year-old was also a member of Waterford's most powerful political dynasties, a collection of Fianna Fáil TDs, senators, city councillors, and mayors who served for almost 60 years, right up until 2011.

His influential connections didn't stop there. A late uncle, Monsignor John Shine, was a leading member of the Catholic Church in their home county.

As far as we know, Kenneally began his horrific campaign of sexual abuse when he was just 17 years old, and despite victims reporting his vile crimes to the gardai as far back as 1985, it took until 2016 before he was finally jailed.

For more than eight years, a commission of investigation examined how state authorities, the Catholic Church clergy, politicians, sporting organisations, and others dealt with the allegations of sexual abuse made by young boys against Kenneally.

The commission, chaired by Michael White, heard over 5,000 pages of testimony, and last week they released their findings in a devastating report.

It stated how there were missed opportunities and a clear and serious dereliction of duty by gardai, even by the standards of the late '80s.

Last week, before Kenneally died, we spoke to sexual abuse survivor Jason Clancy, who, along with five of his childhood friends and fellow survivors, Kevin Keating, Gerry Mullane, Barry Murphy, Colin Power, and Paul Walsh, went public in their efforts to get to the full truth about Kenneally's heinous crimes and why it took so long to get him stopped.

Please be warned, this podcast contains disturbing and frank details about sexual abuse.

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A 'foolish and stupid' criminal is facing jail after posing for the camera during a horror attack on gangland murder witness Erol ‘Bigworm’ Ibrahim. Darragh Manning filmed the savage attack during which Ibrahim was pistol whipped with an airgun and threatened with a sword by two men in a Limerick apartment.

Niall talks to Eimear Rabbitt about the horror attack and how Ibrahim was previously the chief witness in the trial of a notorious hitman.

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When Anthony Bur­nett and Joseph Red­mond drove up the M1 in a stolen car in March 2012, they assumed they were in for an easy pay day by selling the Volkswagen to Jason O’Driscoll.

But what they didn’t realise was that the prolific hitman had decided to kill them believing they had cheated him out of a drug deal worth just €1,500.

By the time the friends were unwit­tingly driv­ing to their deaths in a remote forest on the border with Newry, O’Driscoll had built up a repu­ta­tion within the under­world as a reli­able gun-for-hire.

So who was he and how did gardai link him to the brutal double murders?

Nicola speaks to Robin Schiller about the life and crimes of O’Driscoll, one of gangland’s most prolific guns-for-hire.

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Jeffrey Donaldson’s trial is nearing its end. The court has now heard the closing arguments – all that remains is for the judge to give directions to the jury.  

 On Wednesday, Donaldson’s barrister told the jury the complainants were “not sufficiently reliable enough to drive you to a sure conclusion that he is guilty”.  

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Kinahan hitman Glen Clarke who took his own life accidentally on the way to kill Cartel target Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan was the killer nicknamed 'Teeth' during the Sean McGovern hearing.

The court heard that McGovern wanted an associate to give ‘Teeth’ the chance to ‘murder Duck’ after a series of botched hits had left three innocent people dead.

Nicola and Niall Donald recount the shocking details of the life and death of Glen Clarke. 

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Murder accused Jonathan Gill has been refused bail in the High Court and now awaits a decision around his extradition to Northern Ireland where he is wanted for the murder of Robbie Lawlor.

Nicola talks to Niall Donald about Gill and his extradition challenge the Encrochat evidence that the PSNI say they have against him.

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Two rival expat criminals who were due to end up in the same Spanish jail are being separated to prisons more than 10 hours apart for their own security. Gang boss Steven Lyons from Scotland and the man accused of his brother Eddie's murder will not be housed together after authorities moved Liverpudlian Michael Riley to the north of the country.

Nicola talks with Niall Donald about the prison move.

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A Gucci Gang leader who threatened a woman that he would have her son raped if they didn’t pay up an alleged debt has been jailed for 10 years. Mark Salmon rose to prominence in the notorious north Dublin mob after a number of high profile members were shot dead or imprisoned.

Nicola talks with Eamon Dillon about the ordinary working dad who secretly operated as a monstrous criminal thug. 

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Gardaí investigating the disappearance and murders of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob have begun a new search in Co Wicklow.

It comes several months after gardaí carried out a search of a disused quarry in Co Wicklow in relation to the two women who disappeared in the Leinster area in the 1990s. 

Nicola speaks to Eimear Rabbitt.

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