Cardinal George Pell to stand trial on historical sex charges

CARDINAL George Pell has shouted “not guilty” as he entered a plea after being ordered to stand trial over a string of historical sexual offences. He is the most senior Catholic to stand trial on such serious charges.

CARDINAL George Pell will stand trial over a string of historical sexual offences, but the most serious allegations levelled at him have been thrown out of court.

For the first time since being charged last June the Cardinal was today required to enter a formal plea. He shouted “not guilty” when asked to do so. SUSIE O’BRIEN: NOT EVEN PELL IS ABOVE THE LAW SEVERAL GEORGE PELL SEX CHARGES TO BE WITHDRAWN PRELIMINARY HEARING LEARNS DETAILS OF ALLEGED OFFENCES ONE CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST CARDINAL PELL AS ACCUSER DIES It came at the end of an almost 90-minute court hearing during which magistrate Belinda Wallington outlined her reasons for committing Cardinal Pell to stand trial on some charges. Some of those charges relate to Cardinal Pell’s time as Melbourne Archbishop, while others date to his time as a priest. Ms Wallington also outlined her reasoning for discharging about half of those brought against him, described by his lawyer Robert Richter, QC, as “vile”. The decision to commit the Cardinal will rock the Catholic Church globally. It appeared to shake the Cardinal who looked shattered by the decision inside court. He is the most senior Catholic to stand trial on such serious charges. It is likely he will need to face multiple trials, which means the fight to clear his name could last another 12 months. Cardinal Pell will appear at the County Court tomorrow for an initial directions hearing. The Cardinal, who stood down as the Vatican’s treasurer, had hoped to revive his Vatican career at the completion of the current legal proceedings. But the decision could be taken out of his hands pending the outcome of the County Court matters. Ms Wallington made it clear from the outset of today’s hearing that it was not her job to replace that of a jury. Instead, she was required to commit the Cardinal to trial if she considered there was “evidence of sufficient weight” to bring a guilty verdict. In about half of the charges she decided there was. The Cardinal’s legal team had argued for all the charges to be thrown out of court. Ms Wallington emphasised the vital role juries play in Victorian legal system. “Credibility and reliability are matters for the jury,” she said. “It is not the task of a magistrate conducting a committal proceeding to assume the role of a jury.” But she found in relation to some allegations there was no prospect of a jury, properly instructed, being able to find the Cardinal guilty. Cardinal Pell entered court shortly before 10am flanked by Katrina Lee, his spokeswoman, and a friend. Monsignor Charlie Portelli greeted the Cardinal inside court and wished him well. The Monsignor was Cardinal Pell’s right-hand man during his time as Melbourne Archbishop. He was forced to leave court after Ms Wallington made an order prohibiting potential witnesses from sitting in on proceedings. Following the hearing Cardinal Pell was placed on bail on his own undertaking. He must notify police of any change of address with at least 24 hours notice and cannot leave Australia. He has already forfeited his passport. The Cardinal must also not contact witnesses for the prosecution except Monsignor Portelli and the lead police officer in the case. Prosecutors wanted him banned from attending points of international departure but Magistrate Wallington agreed the condition was not necessary. In a statement released after the hearing the Cardinal thanked his supporters “both here in Australia and overseas ... for their continuing support and prayers”. A statement from the Vatican said the Holy See had “taken note of the decision issued by judicial authorities in Australia” regarding the Cardinal. “Last year, the Holy Father granted Cardinal Pell a leave of absence so he could defend himself from the accusations,” the statement read. “The leave of absence is still in place.” The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne said Archbishop Denis Hart declined to make any comment but “expressed his confidence in the judicial system in Australia and said that justice must now take its course.” Shine Lawyers’ National Abuse Law Manager, Lisa Flynn said today’s decision highlighted that nobody was above the law. “The learnings from this trial are that if allegations of child sexual abuse are made, they should be treated equally by the police. It should not matter their standing, where they live, their job or their religion,” she said. “The charging of Pell for these alleged crimes reinforces that people should be and are treated equally in the eyes of the law. This is a promising step forward for victims of sexual assault.” Cardinal Pell to stand trial on sexual assault allegations Victoria Univerisity Emeritus Professor Neil Andrews said today’s decision was not surprising. “Committal proceedings are used to screen serious criminal charges,” he said. “They prevent an accused from being put on trial unless the evidence is of sufficient weight to support a conviction by a jury for the offence. The magistrate found that that standard has not been met in respect of a number of the charges. “In respect of the other charges, being committed for trial doesn’t mean that an accused would be convicted. It means that there is sufficient evidence on which a jury, after evaluating the evidence, could be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of guilt. “The outcome in sexual assault cases often involves questions of the credibility of the accused and the complainants, or, one person’s word against another.” Cardinal Pell did not comment following the hearing. He was protected from a huge crowd by dozens of police and escorted to a waiting car. [e-mail] MORE HERALD SUN NEWS: VICTORIA’S BIG-SPENDING ECONOMIC BLUEPRINT WORTH $288 BILLION YOUR 5 MINUTE VICTORIAN BUDGET GUIDE HIGH SECURITY WAITING ROOMS FOR ICE-AFFECTED PATIENTS WHEN THE SMOKE HAZE WILL CLEAR MELBOURNE CAMPER RESCUED AFTER FIVE DAYS MISSING IN BUSH

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