Kevin Reynolds is an Irish Catholic priest who was falsely alleged in a news feature on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

(the national television network of Ireland) to have raped and impregnated a Kenyan teenager. A scandal ensued when the allegations were discovered to be untrue, which generated intensive media coverage and political debate in Ireland, resulting in a government inquiry into the broadcaster.Irish TV Network Defames Innocent Priest, Issues Apology
, ''The Media Report'', November 2011, retrieved 23 November 2011.Republic's government order probe into RTE Fr Reynolds libel case
BBC News, 23 November 2011. The allegations were made in a report by the journalist Aoife Kavanagh titled " Mission to Prey", which aired in May 2011 on the ''

Prime Time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

'' programme. Kavanagh alleged that during his time as a missionary in Kenya, Reynolds had raped and impregnated a minor named Veneraanda, fathering a child called Sheila. Kavanagh also alleged that Reynolds had secretly provided financial support to Sheila over a number of years. Both Veneranda and Sheila were interviewed on the programme to corroborate the allegations. taken place in the Diocese of Kakamega in Kenya. Prior to the broadcasting of the show, Reynolds volunteered to have DNA testing undertaken to prove his innocence but this offer was refused by RTÉ. Later, two separate and independent DNA tests established that Reynolds was not the father of the child. With this it emerged that the allegations were entirely baseless. However, as a result of the broadcast, Reynolds was removed from his home and his parish ministry. When it became public knowledge that Reynolds had been falsely accused, RTÉ broadcast an apology to him. ''Prime Time'' Investigates, the series on which the allegations were broadcast, was immediately suspended. The Director-General of RTÉ, Noel Curran, admitted the broadcasting of "Mission to Prey" was "one of the gravest editorial mistakes ever made" at RTÉ. RTÉ staff, including

Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', ''Winning Streak'' and '' The Big ...

, John Bowman, and Sean O'Rourke, publicly criticised the

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

. The head of the Irish Missionary Union said that Aoife Kavanagh's continuing presence on ''Morning Ireland'' after being found guilty of defaming Reynolds was "unfair and unjust" and a demonstration of "double standards" in the media. In November 2011, Reynolds agreed to an out-of-court libel settlement with RTÉ. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed. His solicitor also requested that the Irish justice minister,

Alan Shatter Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Sou ...

, "clarify that he accepts that Fr Reynolds was guilty of no wrongdoing", in response to Shatter's previous public support of "Mission to Prey" when it was broadcast in May 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Kevin 2011 in case law 2011 in the Republic of Ireland 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Defamation Irish expatriates in Kenya Irish Roman Catholic missionaries 21st-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Living people Media case law People from County Galway People from County Longford Republic of Ireland case law Roman Catholic missionaries in Kenya RTÉ controversies Year of birth missing (living people) Journalistic scandals Fake news Anti-Catholicism in Ireland

See also

References