NUDE BEHAVIOUR | 

Serial flasher facing eviction insists “I didn’t expose myself to children”

Kerryman Denis Sheehan, whose home faces a community playground just 60 metres from his front door, will be evicted on January 2, 2024, following complaints he was seen standing naked in his porch playing with his genitals.

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A serial flasher who looks set to lose his council home after he was convicted of indecent exposure has insisted he never intentionally set out to expose himself to children.

Kerryman Denis Sheehan, whose home faces a community playground just 60 metres from his front door, will be evicted on January 2, 2024, following complaints he was seen standing naked in his porch playing with his genitals.

Shocking details of Sheehan’s indecency offences were outlined earlier this month as Kerry County Council successfully sought a possession order for the exhibitionist’s home in Iveragh Park in Killorglin.

But when the Sunday World called to the Kerry property on Tuesday last, the 67-year-old insisted the reaction to his fondness for nudity is completely over the top.

Emerging into the glass porch where his offending was alleged to have occurred, a topless Sheehan braved the wind and rain coming through the smashed front windows to speak with our reporter.

“A lot of it is not true,” he insisted. “I’ve been accused of doing things and it’s not true.”

Asked about the fact Killorglin Community Centre had been forced to erect a fence to protect the eyes of the children in the playground from his immodesty, Sheehan continued: “I never exposed myself naked in front of kids.

“I did stand here in the porch and maybe somebody passed by and seen me.”

Asked whether he is naturist who just doesn’t like wearing clothes, he responded: “In the summer I walk around inside — but with the curtains drawn.”

Asked if he was denying that he had exposed his genitals to children, Sheehan answered: “Never … I never did.”

Sheehan continued that he would have nowhere to go if Kerry County Council follows through on the eviction, but said he still has hope that he might avoid a situation where he is made homeless.

“I’m waiting on a letter from my solicitor to see what’s going to happen. But it’s over the top, it’s unnecessary. Will you print that now? You will. Good man.”

Despite Sheehan’s denials, the Sunday World has learnt he was convicted of the offence of indecent exposure relating to three separate occasions.

All three offences were dealt with on the same court date on August 4, 2022, when he received a six month sentence.

The first offence occurred at his home on January 24, 2022, when he was found to have exposed his genitals to another person causing them fear, distress and alarm.

The second occurred at his home at 1.15pm on June 21, 2022, and the third occurred just over four hours later at 5.30pm on the same date.

Sheehan has been a tenant at the house since 2007, but previously lived in another council home in the area.

Kerry County Council’s tenancy officer Maurice Breen told Killarney District Court that Sheehan first came to their attention in 2020 when a staff member of Killorglin Family Resource Centre contacted them about a man who exposed himself to children in the playground.

The incident, he said, had been reported to An Garda Siochána.

The local authority contacted gardaí, who informed the council that reports had been made regarding Sheehan, including that he was standing naked in his glass porch and playing with his genitals, which was “causing great alarm”.

They also indicated that Sheehan was a suspect in criminal damage incidents, namely the slashing of tyres in the estate.

Mr Breen told the court it is council procedure to await the outcome of a garda investigation, and if this found Sheehan guilty, then he would be in breach of his tenancy agreement.

The council sent a letter to Sheehan outlining that they were aware of this behaviour and that they were awaiting the outcome of the garda case.

In June 2021, Cllr Michael Cahill contacted Kerry County Council in relation to another complaint from the manager of the Killorglin Family Resource Centre, Margaret Wrenn, regarding Sheehan again exposing his genitals, which was causing stress to the staff at the centre.

In August 2022, more concerns were raised by Killorglin Family Resource Centre about Sheehan’s behaviour and the effect it was having on parents who attend the crèche there, and the staff at the centre.

Ultimately, following garda investigations, Sheehan was convicted of offences of indecent exposure and criminal damage, and he served a six-month jail sentence, from which he was released in December 2022.

Since then, there have been no further incidents, Killarney District Court was told.

In January 2023, Mr Breen and a colleague from Kerry County Council visited Sheehan at his address and informed him he had breached the tenancy agreement with the council.

Judge David Waters said that the concern wasn’t that there hasn’t been an incident since December 2022 but the “inappropriateness of this man living so close to Killorglin Family Resource Centre.”

The judge granted the possession order to Kerry County Council. The court said the order would not come into effect until January 2, so Sheehan will have a “roof over his head” for Christmas.