Prosecutors drop more George Pell contempt charges
Victoria’s top prosecutor has dropped 105 contempt of court charges over allegations some publications breached a suppression order on the George Pell case, while it has emerged Pell will be absent from his appeal.
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George Pell will be absent from his High Court challenge as his legal team makes a final bid to overturn his convictions.
The former Vatican treasurer is serving a maximum six-year jail term for the abuse of two choirboys while he was the Catholic archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s.
He was convicted of one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four charges of an indecent act with a child under 16.
He successfully urged the High Court to take his case, arguing it was not open to a jury to convict him, after his initial appeal was dismissed by the Victorian Court of Appeal in a majority decision.
But Pell, who has served almost a year of his sentence, will not attend his appeal when it is heard in Canberra next month.
Unlike other courts, the High Court does not offer video links to jails. The hearing will also not be streamed to any other court, meaning anyone who wants to watch the hearing must attend in person.
It is understood Pell, who has taken copious notes through each of his court hearings, is disappointed he will be unable to watch his appeal.
University of Melbourne law school professor Jeremy Gans said because most High Court hearings were held in Canberra, there was a significant problem with prisoner attendance.
But he said the court typically published videos of full court hearings on its web page, so, if allowed by prison authorities, Pell could ultimately watch the hearing.
Prof Gans said in significant cases of public interest the court had arranged for “overflow” rooms, where people could watch a live video.
“In short, the court clearly has the technology to arrange a live stream if it wants, but that’s not its usual practice, especially to a non-High Court venue,” he said.
Pell, the most senior Catholic to be jailed for sex offences, has vehemently maintained his innocence.
He spent almost 11 months in solitary confinement in the Melbourne Assessment Prison because of fears for his safety.
In January he was moved to the maximum security Barwon Prison.
It comes as Victoria’s top prosecutor dropped more than half of the contempt of court charges laid over the reporting of the Pell case.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd QC, is pursuing contempt of court convictions against dozens of organisations and individuals amid allegations they breached a suppression order after Pell was found guilty of child sexual assault.
At an administrative hearing at the Supreme Court on Thursday it was revealed more than half of the original charges had been scrapped.
In March last year, Ms Judd laid 205 charges against 36 respondents including Fairfax Media, Mamamia, Nine Entertainment and News Corp publications.
But 105 charges have now been dropped, and claims against six respondents discontinued.
The DPP wants a declaration that respondents either were in breach of a suppression order and, in contempt of court and has sought orders for imprisonment, fines and convictions.
Supreme Court Justice John Dixon on Thursday slammed delays proceedings, saying the matter had been dragging on for too long.
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“This case is going so slowly I can’t remember the last appearance before me,” he said.
“I would have thought the whole case would have been tried by now.”
The court heard a delay in proceedings had been caused in part because the parties couldn’t agree with how the matter should properly proceed.
Justice Dixon flagged the possibility of up to 20 separate trials.