George Pell Has Won His Appeal On Historical Sex Abuse Charges

In a unanimous decision, Cardinal George Pell has won his High Court appeal against his conviction on historical child sex abuse charges, meaning he will walk free from jail later this morning, after his convictions were quashed.

Pell, who was convicted of historic sex crimes, had his first attempt at an appeal dismissed from a Victorian court in June of last year. Following that decision, Pell’s final chance was the High Court, which handed down its decision this morning after hearing arguments earlier this year.

The Court found that, while the key witness, known as ‘A’, gave credible testimony, it was outweighed by the lack of supporting evidence pointing to his guilt.

The High Court found that, “on the assumption that the jury had assessed the complainant’s evidence as thoroughly credible and reliable, the evidence of the opportunity witnesses nonetheless required the jury, acting rationally, to have entertained a reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s guilt in relation to the offences involved in both alleged incidents.”

There was therefore “a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof”. the court’s judgement reads. You can read the whole judgement here.

In a statement following the decision, Pell thanked his supporters.

Statement from George Pell @SkyNewsAust #pell pic.twitter.com/mw8Cv77lz0

— Andrea Crothers (@abcrothers) April 7, 2020

“A special thanks for all the prayers and thousands of letters of support,” the statement reads. “I want to thank in particular my family for their love and support and what they had to go through; my small team of advisors, those who spoke up for me and suffered as a result.”

Pell also had some words for his accuser, saying he holds no ill will towards him.

“I do not want my acquittal to add to the hurt and bitterness so many feel; there is certainly hurt and bitterness enough. However, my trial was not a referendum on the Catholic Church; nor a referendum on how Church authorities in Australia dealt with the crime of paedophilia in the Church.”

George Pell, once the highest ranking Australian in the Catholic church, was sentenced to six years in prison in March 2019 after a jury found he had sexually abused two choir boys in Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 and 1997 while he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

The Cardinal has always maintained his innocence, with his lawyer telling the appeals court in June that the surviving accuser was a “liar and fantasist”.

Advocacy groups have previously warned that an acquittal may deter other victims of clerical abuse from coming forward. Speaking to Nine newspapers, Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood in the UK, said that Pell walking free would send the message that “whatever the rights and wrongs” of the case, “if you are sufficiently rich and powerful the system will work for you more than it works for victims”.

The cardinal’s initial conviction sent shock waves through the Catholic community, while a number of prominent conservatives, including News Corp columnists Andrew Bolt and Miranda Devine, and former Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard, offering spirited defence of the clergyman’s character.

More to come.