George Pell guilty verdict: The victim’s story, in his own words

The victim spent almost three days giving evidence and being cross-examined over his allegations, from which prosecutors and George Pell’s defence team regularly quoted. This is his story, in his own words.

The victim spent almost three days giving evidence and being cross-examined over his allegations.

But his entire testimony was heard in a closed court after an application by prosecutors to prevent any distress or embarrassment. The order also applied in the retrial.

Requests to view that recording or read a transcript of his evidence were denied.

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However, prosecutors and Pell’s defence team regularly quoted from the complainant’s evidence. This is his story, in his own words:

“My first specific memory was being in that room. We were sort of poking around in the corridors.

“We sort of broke away from the main choir group. It was sort of scattered and a bit chaotic as a bunch of kids are after a mass, and we managed to separate ourselves from that group. I don’t recall specifically when we broke away.

“We went back into the cathedral … through the southern exit.

“We were being naughty kids having a look around. We entered the room and noticed to the left of us as we entered there was a wooden panelled area resembling a storage kitchenette kind of thing.

“We were poking through this cupboard and we found some wine.

“We were excited, feeling mischievous. We found the bottle and we opened it and started having a couple of swigs out of it.

“We were in the corner of the room where the cupboards were and we heard a bit of a noise approaching and we were trying to quieten down a little bit, and then he entered the room.

“He planted himself in the doorway and said something like ‘what are you doing in here’, or ‘you’re in trouble’.

“There was this moment when we all just sort of froze, and then he undid his trousers or his belt, like he started moving underneath his robes.

St. Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“He pulled BB aside and then he pulled out his penis then grabbed BB’s head.

“I could see his head being lowered towards his genitalia, and then BB sort of started squirming, he was struggling.

“Archbishop Pell was doing something with one of his hands. I could see the back of BB’s head and the other hand was around the back of BB’s head and his shoulders. I could see his hand on the back of his head.

“BB was sort of … flailing around a bit.

“Archbishop Pell was standing and he had BB crouched in front of him. This was towards the centre of the room. I was no more than a couple of metres away.

“BB’s head was being controlled and it was down near Archbishop Pell’s genitals. I couldn’t see his penis at that time.”

He said it lasted a minute or two and BB said, “Can you let us go, we didn’t do anything”.

“I saw his head being pushed down with his back to me. He then stopped.

“Then he turned to me and then he pushed his penis into my mouth.

“I was pushed down and crouching or kneeling.

“Archbishop Pell was standing, he was erect, and he pushed it into my mouth. I was pushed onto the penis.

“He instructed me to undo my pants and take off my pants and I did that.

“Then he started touching my genitalia …

“Archbishop Pell was touching himself on his penis with his other hand.

“We didn’t yell. I made some objections. We got up and left the room and went back into the chorale change room area.

“It felt like an anomaly, so foreign, and I was in shock, I just didn’t tell.

“What would I do if I went forward and said such a thing about an archbishop?

“It’s something I’ve carried for the whole of my life and coming forward took a courage, much later on for me, to be able to even think about coming forward.”

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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