George Pell case from claims to guilty verdict

Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty of child sex abuse. This is a timeline of the case, from allegations to verdict.

Cardinal George Pell has been found guilty of child sex abuse. Picture: Con Chronis /AFP

Cardinal George Pell has become the most senior official to be found guilty of a sexual offence in the history of the Catholic Church, after being found guilty of sex crimes against two choirboys.

A jury delivered the unanimous verdict on December 11 in Melbourne’s county court, but the result was subject to a suppression order and could not be reported until now.

This is a timeline of the case, from allegations to guilty verdict:

1996: Pell appointed Archbishop of Melbourne by Pope John Paul II — Pell sexually abuses two 13-year-old choirboys after a Sunday solemn mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral — A second indecent act is committed by Pell against one of the choirboys in a corridor at the Cathedral.

2016: The Herald Sun reports Pell is being investigated by Victoria Police’s Sano taskforce for “multiple offences” committed while he was a priest in Ballarat and Archbishop of Melbourne — Pell says the allegations are “without foundation and utterly false” and calls for an inquiry into how the police investigation became public — Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton asks the anti-corruption watchdog to investigate the leak, but denies it came from police — Pell gives evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s inquiry into abuse in Ballarat — Under Vatican rules, Pell gives Pope Francis his resignation on his 75th birthday, as is customary. It is not accepted — Victoria Police investigators hand over to the state’s Office of Public Prosecutions a brief of evidence on allegations of sexual abuse by Pell — Officers travel to Rome to interview Pell over the abuse claims. He voluntarily participates in the interview.

2017: Police present their final brief of evidence to the Office of Public Prosecutions to consider charges — Prosecutors give police the green light to charge Pell.

JUNE 2017: Pell is charged with multiple counts of historic child sex offences — He denies the charges and vows to clear his name — Lawyers for Pell appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court — Pell takes leave from his Vatican finance chief role to fight the charges.

JULY 2017: Pell returns to Australia — He hires top barrister Robert Richter QC — Supporters set up a fund to help Pell fight the charges.

MARCH 2018: Prosecutors drop one of the charges against Pell — A month-long committal hearing begins to determine if Pell will face trial — Prosecutors withdraw more charges — Mr Richter claims police conducted a “get Pell operation” and accuses magistrate Belinda Wallington of bias. She refuses to disqualify herself from the case.

MAY 2018: Magistrate Belinda Wallington orders Pell stand trial on some charges, but throws out others — Pell formally pleads “not guilty” — Two trials are ordered, separating the 1970s and 1990s allegations — A Victorian County Court employee is sacked for looking up information on the Pell case.

AUGUST 2018: The 1990s “cathedral trial” begins in the Victorian County Court in Melbourne — Pell pleads not guilty again to one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four of indecent acts with a child, over incidents involving two 13-year-old choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996.

SEPTEMBER 2018: The jury is discharged, unable to reach a verdict following a week of deliberation. Some jurors weep.

NOVEMBER 2018: A retrial begins. The jury aren’t told of the previous hung jury.

DECEMBER 2018: Pell is found guilty on all charges by an unanimous jury — Mr Richter says Pell will appeal — Suppression orders prevent Australian media reporting the verdict but it spreads through international media within hours.

FEBRUARY 2019 Hearings begin ahead of the second trial. Prosecutors drop another charge — An appeal is filed against the cathedral trial verdict — A County Court judge deems vital evidence inadmissable — Prosecutors withdraw all remaining charges against Pell and drop a second trial over allegations Pell indecently assaulted boys in Ballarat in the 1970s when he was a parish priest — Pell is due to be taken into custody on Wednesday, February 27 as the plea hearing begins.

MARCH 2019: Pell is due to be sentenced by County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd.