WILLIAM KENEALY FROM NORTHOLT CHALLENGES HIS HIGHLY DANGEROUS PRISONER STATUS IN LONDON

In a significant legal development, William Kenealy, a man from Northolt, has been granted permission to challenge his classification as a highly dangerous prisoner. This decision was made amidst ongoing debates about the management and treatment of offenders with serious criminal histories.

William Kenealy, aged 25 at the time, was convicted of multiple heinous crimes, including the brutal rapes of a mother and her nine-year-old daughter during the Christmas period of 1996, as well as the assault and rape of a 17-year-old schoolgirl who was returning home from a concert in Ealing approximately ten months later. His crimes shocked the community and led to his receiving five life sentences at the Old Bailey.

Despite the gravity of his offenses, Kenealy’s legal team successfully argued before Mr. Justice Collins in London that he should be allowed to seek a judicial review of his current 'category A' prisoner status. This classification is reserved for inmates deemed to pose the highest risk to public safety, particularly those who are considered highly dangerous and escape-prone. The judge acknowledged the complexities involved in such cases, especially when the prisoner maintains innocence and refuses to admit guilt.

During the hearing, the court heard that Kenealy was currently held at Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire. His legal representatives contended that the decision to keep him in the highest security category was flawed because he had refused to acknowledge his crimes, which they argued created a Catch-22 situation. The director of high security prisons had previously decided not to downgrade Kenealy’s status, citing concerns that he had not addressed his sexual offending and posed a significant risk to the public if he were to escape.

Prosecutors and officials, including Paul Greatorex representing the Justice Secretary Jack Straw, maintained that Kenealy exemplified a classic category A prisoner. Greatorex emphasized that if Kenealy did not belong in this highest security classification, it would be difficult to determine which prisoners did. He warned that releasing or downgrading Kenealy could lead to dangerous consequences, asserting that the risk of harm to the public was very high and that measures should be taken to prevent any possibility of escape.

Probation officers had recommended that Kenealy be downgraded to category B, which would allow him to participate in a therapeutic community at a different prison. Such a move would facilitate his rehabilitation and address his behavioral issues through specialized programs. However, the prison director had ignored these recommendations, maintaining the current high-security status.

Flo Krause, representing Kenealy, highlighted his progress in various behavioral programs aimed at addressing his previous criminal conduct, which primarily involved acquisitive offenses. Krause argued that the failure to provide access to such courses for category A prisoners could be challenged legally. The judge, Mr. Justice Collins, indicated that the existence of a suitable course that could only be attended if Kenealy was downgraded to category B was a compelling reason to grant him leave to seek judicial review. This decision underscores the ongoing debate about balancing security concerns with rehabilitation opportunities for high-risk offenders.

In a tragic and disturbing context, the case was further compounded by the recent death of a young woman, the mother of the nine-year-old victim. She expressed her profound anguish upon learning of her other daughter’s death in a pond in Kensington Gardens, London. The young woman, aged 20, was found dead in the water on Tuesday, the same day Kenealy was convicted. It is believed her body had been in the pond for up to two weeks.

The mother described her grief, stating, “I cannot believe my daughter has died. I try not to feel sorry for myself, but I wonder why all this tragedy has come our way.” She revealed that her older daughter had been haunted by guilt following the rapes and had turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. She speculated that her daughter’s death might have been accidental, possibly falling into the pond while intoxicated, and expressed her belief that her daughter felt responsible for the events that had unfolded.

William Kenealy’s crimes, which included the terrifying rapes of a woman and her young daughter on Boxing Day 1996, as well as the assault on a teenage girl, drew widespread condemnation. The judge at his trial, Judge Ian Davies, described Kenealy’s conduct as exhibiting “manifestly perverted tendencies” and warned that he would remain a danger to women for an indefinite period if released.

The nine-year-old victim’s police statement, released a year after the crimes, painted a harrowing picture of her experience. She recounted waking up on Christmas night to find a man in her bedroom, holding a knife to her mother’s face. She described her terror, unable to move or scream, and her fear that her mother might be harmed. The attacker then demanded money, took her mother’s purse, and stole some of her Christmas money before fleeing the scene.

Following these events, the young girl struggled with fear and anxiety, avoiding sleeping alone and dreading the upcoming Christmas, which now evoked painful memories. The identity of the woman who was raped cannot be publicly disclosed to protect her privacy and prevent identification of the victims involved in this tragic case.