KEVIN SCULLY FROM CORK AND DRIMOLEAGUE: HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE SHOCKS WEST CORK

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the west Cork community, Kevin Scully, a man with a long history of heinous sexual offenses against children, has been released back onto the streets despite being classified as a 'high risk' of re-offending by law enforcement officials. Scully’s criminal activities, which spanned several years and involved the abuse of more than 20 young children, have left a lasting scar on the local population of Cork and the surrounding areas, including Drimoleague.

During the mid-1990s, Scully’s depraved actions created an environment of fear among children in his native west Cork. Reports from the time recount incidents where terrified young girls, in a desperate bid to escape his perverted advances, locked themselves inside the trunk of a relative’s car. On another harrowing occasion, he attacked five children in a single day, demonstrating a pattern of predatory behavior that shocked the community and law enforcement alike.

Investigations revealed that Scully used frightening tactics to intimidate his victims. Children recounted how he employed scissors to cut their pocket linings, ostensibly to touch their private parts, a detail that underscores the brutality and calculated nature of his abuse. For over a decade, Scully was detained in various institutions, including Arbour Hill prison and the Central Mental Hospital, as authorities sought to address his disturbing behavior. Despite spending approximately €330,000 on psychiatric treatment during his teenage years, experts concluded that these efforts had little to no effect on his propensity for harm.

In a significant legal development, Scully was released from prison last year after serving a sentence that was backdated to 2003. Since then, he has been living in temporary accommodations across Dublin’s inner city, often moving between different hostels for homeless men. His presence in these shelters was not without incident; he was forced to leave one after his criminal record became publicly known. The court had explicitly ordered him to stay away from west Cork for ten years following his release, and he remains on the sex offenders’ register until he reaches the age of 55.

Concerns about his safety and the safety of others were voiced during his 2009 trial, with some fearing that he might face retaliation if he returned to Cork. Medical and probation reports presented to the court indicated that Scully had minimized the impact of his crimes on his victims, with one psychiatrist noting that therapeutic efforts to help him understand the harm caused had been ineffective. Scully pleaded guilty to 16 counts of sexual assault involving ten girls and five boys, all aged between two and eight, with some victims assaulted multiple times and others only once.

The investigation into Scully’s crimes began in 2000 after a three-year-old girl confided in her mother about his inappropriate conduct. Gardai arrested him that same year, and he admitted to abusing the young girl as well as eight other children. A subsequent arrest on May 23, 2000, led to further admissions, revealing that he had assaulted six additional girls and seven boys across various locations in west Cork, including private homes, cars, and other buildings. Court testimonies detailed threats made by Scully, including warnings that he would kill children if they disclosed the abuse to their parents.

Initially charged in July 2000, Scully was ordered to undergo psychiatric assessment. The Southern Health Board later placed him in a residential treatment facility at Glebe House in Cambridgeshire, UK, where he spent over two years at a cost of approximately IR£280,000. However, medical evaluations concluded that he did not benefit from the treatment, and he was returned to Ireland for trial in November 2002. At that time, a jury found him unfit to plead, and he was detained at the Central Mental Hospital. It was only after legislative changes that the case was reactivated, leading to his guilty plea in March 2008.

Detective Garda Bart O’Leary emphasized that, despite Scully’s cooperation during investigations, medical reports indicated he remained at a high risk of re-offending. During his sentencing in March 2009, Judge Patrick Moran expressed grave concern about the danger Scully posed and ordered that he be subjected to ongoing supervision upon release. The judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison, with seven years suspended back to 2003, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing threat he represents to society.