George Pell being sued over Ballarat swimming pool sexual abuse claims
Lawyers acting for an alleged victim of disgraced cardinal George Pell, have launched proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Pell is accused of sexually abusing a little boy in a swimming pool in the 1970s.
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Lawyers acting for an alleged victim of disgraced cardinal George Pell have launched proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Law firm Arnold Thomas & Becker filed civil proceedings yesterday.
The Herald Sun revealed on Monday that Pell is being sued over claims he sexually abused a little boy in a swimming pool in the 1970s.
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THE VICTIM’S STORY, IN HIS OWN WORDS
The alleged victim, who is now aged 50, was placed at the St Joseph’s Boys Home in Ballarat between February 1974 and 1978.
During that time he says he suffered physical and sexual abuse and says Pell inappropriately touched him “on three or four occasions”.
He is suing Pell, the State of Victoria, the Trustees of the Sisters of Nazareth, and Child & Family Services Ballarat Inc.
The man, who does not wish to be identified, told the Herald Sun he was devastated when prosecutors decided not to proceed with his case in the criminal courts.
He was told by prosecutors late last year his case would be dropped because it would be difficult to prove Pell’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
“It took a lot of courage and soul searching to be prepared to tell my story accusing one of the most senior Catholics in the world of serious criminal offences and eventually I was ready to have my day in court,” he said.
“But when I was told they had withdrawn the case I felt empty and that an injustice had occurred.”
If successful the man’s legal action will leave the Catholic Church and Pell facing a bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Lawyer Lee Flanagan, representing the 50-year-old alleged victim, told the Herald Sun: “We will seek to call at least three other witnesses in this case, who will say similar separate episodes of abuse had occurred to them perpetrated by Pell.
“There was a fourth witness, but he died after charges were laid against Pell. We may seek to tender his statement into evidence in this case.”
A statement of claim, seen by the Herald Sun, states: “On one occasion the Plaintiff (alleged victim) was swimming in the pool at St Joseph’s.
“A man who was regarded as a dignitary at the time came to St Joseph’s and swam in the pool with the children.
“He was playing with the children and let them climb on him in the pool. The Plaintiff was told that the man’s name was George. Some people called him ‘Father’. Upon seeing him on television years later the Plaintiff realised that the man in the pool was the Third Defendant (Pell).”
Last December, a jury found Pell guilty of sex acts committed against two choirboys in 1996, while he was the Archbishop of Melbourne.
The court heard the abuse happened after Pell found the boys in the sacristy of St Patrick’s Cathedral, drinking altar wine.
Pell, who is now behind bars, will learn his sentence later this month. Each of the five child sex charges of which he has been found guilty by a jury has a maximum of ten years in jail.
FURTHER COVERAGE
THE RISE AND FALL OF GEORGE PELL
BOLT: WHY PELL HAS BEEN FALSELY CONVICTED
WHAT WENT ON INSIDE SECRET PELL CHILD SEX TRIALS
SCANDAL IS NO STRANGER TO THE VATICAN
QUILL: PELL CASE HIGHLIGHTS OUT-OF-DATE SUPPRESSION LAWS
WHAT PRISON LIFE WILL BE LIKE FOR PELL
HOW PELL’S ATTITUDE SPURRED ON HIS CRITICS
WHAT PELL SAID DURING ROME TESTIMONY
TEN THINGS PELL HOPED WOULD PROVE HIS INNOCENCE
HORRIFIC MOMENT PELL PREYED ON BOYS
THE PHOTO THAT DOGGED GEORGE PELL
A gag order preventing publication of Pell’s convictions was imposed so as not to prejudice a jury hearing further charges against him.
It was lifted after that case was dropped by prosecutors last Tuesday.
In other allegations not involving Pell, the man also claims he was beaten for snoring while at St Joseph’s and had excrement rubbed into his mouth. He says he was also beaten in the early 1980s after he was placed in a Ballarat home run by “cottage parents”.
The damages trial is expected to commence early in 2020.