Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 2253Sexual assault, rape (using an object) · Co. Galway · 1 Jan 2013

Sean Kinneavy jailed for sexual abuse and rape of child in Galway

Sean Kinneavy, 74, of Carraroe, Co. Galway, was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court after being convicted of 47 counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape using an object against a girl aged 10 to 15 between January 2013 and June 2018. He was also ordered to pay €38,000 in compensation to the victim and her mother.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced24 Feb
    2 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
31 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatSean Kinneavy, 74, of Bother Bui, Carraroe, Co. Galway, was convicted of 47 counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape using an object. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKinneavy was aged between 62 and 67 at the time of the offending, while the victim was aged between 10 and 15. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatKinneavy was well-known to the girl's family and a regular visitor to their home in Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim estimated Kinneavy sexually abused her around once a month when he visited. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe abuse included inappropriate touching and digital penetration of the victim's vagina and anus. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKinneavy described the touching as 'massages' and told the girl to rub her ear as a code if she wanted a massage. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKinneavy raped the girl twice using sex toys at his home in Galway during the summer of 2017. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe abuse came to light in 2020 when the girl's mother found a note referring to it while the victim was hospitalised for mental health difficulties. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKinneavy has no previous convictions. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim's mother took time off work between 2020 and 2021, and the family lost around €24,000 in income. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim estimated petrol costs of €10,000 since 2019 and medical and counselling costs of €4,000. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKinneavy is assessed at low to medium risk of re-offending by the Probation Services. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • whatSean Kinneavy, 74, of Bóthar Buí, Carraroe, Co Galway, was convicted of 47 counts of sexual assault and two of rape using an object. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe abuse included inappropriate touching and digital penetration of her vagina and anus. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatHe raped her twice using sex toys at his home in Galway during the summer of 2017 while she was staying there. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatKinneavy does not accept the verdicts of the jury and maintains his innocence. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe victim's mother took time off work between 2020 and 2021 to care for her and the family lost around €24,000 in income. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe offending took place at locations in Co. Dublin and Co. Galway. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe offending occurred at locations in Co Dublin and Co Galway. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe offending took place between January 2013 and June 2018. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
  • investigationBoth sex toys were recovered during a search of Kinneavy's home. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe girl was interviewed by specialist gardai in early 2021. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationKinneavy was interviewed by gardai in June 2021, but nothing of evidential value was obtained. (irishmirror.ie)
  • courtThe trial took place at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceKinneavy was sentenced to nine years for the rape offences and a concurrent eight-year sentence for the sexual assaults, backdated to November 2024. (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceA two-year post-release supervision order was imposed on Kinneavy. (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceKinneavy was directed to pay €38,000 in compensation, split as €34,000 to the victim's mother and €4,000 to the victim. (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceMr Justice David Keane imposed a sentence of nine years for the rape offences and a concurrent eight-year sentence for the sexual assaults. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceThe sentence was backdated to November 2024 when Kinneavy went into custody. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceA two-year post-release supervision order was imposed. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceKinneavy was directed to pay €38,000 in compensation to cover losses suffered by the victim and her mother. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 24 Feb2025
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Galway man jailed for rape and ‘persistent, deplorable’ sexual abuse of girl

    Sentencing report: details of the conviction, the judge's remarks on aggravating and mitigating factors, the sentence imposed, and the victim impact statement.

    convicted, Sean Kinneavy, 74, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Kinneavyvictim, female
  2. 24 Feb2025
    Sentencedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Man, 70s, jailed for horrific sexual abuse and rape of child 50 years his junior

    Reports the sentencing of Sean Kinneavy, including details of the pattern of abuse, the victim impact statement, the compensation order, and the judge's comments on aggravating and mitigating factors.

    convicted, Sean Kinneavy, 74, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sean Kinneavyvictim, 10-15, female