THE DAY GEORGE PELL'S SUPPORTERS DARED TO HOPE
Cardinal George Pell’s defenders suddenly dare to hope the High Court will say he’s innocent. Their hopes soared last Thursday, after Kerri Judd QC tried to tell the High Court why Pell really did rape two boys, but had to wrestle with an awkward reality: Pell could not have raped them when the prosecution had claimed he did.
Cardinal George Pell’s defenders suddenly dare to hope the High Court will say he’s innocent – the jailed victim of a scandalous miscarriage of justice.
Their hopes soared last Thursday, after Kerri Judd QC tried to tell the High Court why Pell really did rape two boys right after Mass.
Judd tried her best, but the headlines for Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions after the court’s seven judges had finished with her were terrible.
“Judges grill prosecutor over Pell conviction,” said one. “Prosecution shifts ground on vital minutes,” said another.
No one should accuse Judd of incompetence. I suspect she’s a conscientious lawyer who had to wrestle with an awkward reality: Pell could not have raped those boys when the prosecution had claimed he did.
That’s why Judd seemed to be backtracking: maybe the rapes didn’t take as long as first said. Maybe they started much later.
See, here is her problem.