George Pell appeal to be live-streamed

The appeal of Cardinal George Pell will be shown live on the Supreme Court website next week.

George Pell’s appeal will be live streamed on the Supreme Court website. Picture: AFP

The appeal of Cardinal George Pell next week will be live-streamed with a global audience able to follow proceedings on the Supreme Court website.

Pell was found guilty by a Victorian jury in December of one charge of sexual­ penetration of a child and four charges of committing an indecen­t act with, or in the presence of, a child.

Pell’s application for leave to appeal against conviction, and the appeal itself, is listed to be heard by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday June 5 and Thursday June 6, beginning at 9.30am each day.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Ferguson, President of the Court of Appeal Justice Chris Maxwell and Justice Mark Weinberg will preside over the hearing.

Pell is “very much looking forward” to the appeal, sources close to the cardinal said.

Pell is believed to be pleased that the appeal will be televised online.

“It will be open and transparent,” the source said.

“Reasons will have to be given. He is very much looking forward to it.”

Pell’s legal team, led by specialist appeals barrister Bret Walker SC, will first argue that the verdicts were “unreasonable” because the jury could not have been satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Pell was guilty on the word of the single surviving complainant against “unchallenged exculpatory evidence” of more than 20 prosecution witnesses.

They are also set to argue that Chief Judge Kidd was mistaken in not allowing the defence to use a video graphic in barrister Robert Richter’s closing arguments, which he said would demonstrate that the offending was impossible.

A third ground claims there was a “fundamental irregularity” in the trial because Pell was not arraigned — asked if he pleaded guilty or not guilty — in front of the chosen jury.

If the judges accept the first ground, Pell’s conviction will be overturned and he will be ­released. A new trial could be ordered­ if they accept the second or third grounds.

Earlier this week it was revealed Pell won’t seek a reduced sentence if the Court of Appeal upholds his conviction for sexually abusing two Melbourne choirboys in the 1990s.

Victorian County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd sentenced Pell in March to six years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of three years and eight months.

While Pell remains Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic, the Vatican has launched its own investigat­ion into his convictions.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that, while the verdict was “painful”, Pell “has the right to defend himself until the last stage of appeal”.