Cork man jailed for 10 years for sexually assaulting three young girls

The child sexual abuse victims of 63-year-old Brian ‘Sharkey’ Kennedy were praised for their courage which will help other children to find their voice as the accused was jailed for ten years.

Ms Justice Karen O’Connor imposed that jail term on Brian Kennedy at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork today for sexually assaulting three girls and orally raping one of them.

In a case investigated by Detective Garda June O’Shea of the Protective Services Unit of An Garda Síochána, it was indicated today by prosecution senior counsel Jane Hyland that the children, who are now young women, wanted Kennedy - formerly of Cork city and more recently living in a horse truck in a very remote area on the Tallow Road outside Youghal town - to be identified.

Ms Justice O’Connor commended the bravery of the young women in this case: “The victims have shown great distinction and courage and in so doing will help other children finding their voices.” 

The circumstances that gave rise to the sexual crimes are not described in order to protect the identity of the injured parties but Ms Justice O’Connor said that they had been groomed by Brian Kennedy and that in keeping with the pattern of those who groom victims in such offences there was also a grooming of the families of the victims.

“Since the complaints came to light he has been living in a cabin in an isolated life. These are serious offences before the court and children have to be protected from this type of behaviour,” Ms Justice O’Connor said.

The judge noted from a psychological report on the accused that he did not acknowledge his guilt. This was despite pleas of guilty being entered by him a number of days into his trial.

VICTIMS

Detective Garda O’Shea said there were three victims, aged respectively, four to ten, six to eleven, and eleven, when the abuse was being carried out on various dates between 2004 and 2014.

He was put on trial in November 2024, pleading not guilty to all charges against him. One victim gave evidence and was cross-examined. The second victim had her video recorded interview with a specialist garda interviewer played to the judge and jury. 

It was at that stage in the trial that Brian Kennedy changed his pleas to guilty of raping one girl and sexually assaulting her 26 times and to sexually assaulting the second girl eleven times, and the third child once. So he admitted the total of 38 sexual assault charges and one count of rape that were brought against him from the outset.

The first victim said that she made her complaint in 2018 because she felt guilty that other children might be being abused while the defendant was still out in the community. This thought overwhelmed her. While she was glad that the DPP decided in 2021 to prosecute, there was another three years of waiting for a trial.

“Time after time we were given a date and it was pushed back. My life was at a standstill for those three years as I never knew when we would finally go to court. I was terrified for those years of the court and of seeing him in the courtroom.

“His guilty plea did not spare me the trauma of court. I spent a week in court. I had to go on the stand and give evidence. I had to tell my extremely emotional and vulnerable story to a room full of strangers. The cross-examination was horrendous. The defence sniggered and told me my story was not plausible and told the court I was not telling the truth. I was repeatedly interrogated for an hour and a half and reduced to tears. My mother, teachers and friend were also cross examined. My mother was deeply distressed by the whole process.” 

She described suicidal thoughts and chronic health issues as a result of stress stemming from what Brian Kennedy did to her.

The third victim, who was sexually assaulted once, chose not to make an impact statement.

The second victim said, “It is impossible to tell all the ways the abuse has impacted me on a piece of paper. The sadness, the lack of trust in people and the anger I feel at times. I am glad the day has come where he is being held accountable and the healing process can begin.”

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.