George Pell trial: contempt charges dropped against three journalists

Charges have been dropped against three journalists over the way George Pell’s conviction was reported.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at his Vatican apartment in September. Picture: Victor Sokolowicz,

Prosecutors have dropped 13 charges against News Corp employees and publications in the fourth day of a contempt trial against the company and other media outlets over reporting which allegedly breached a suppression order covering the trial of Cardinal George Pell.

Eighteen journalists and 12 news organisations are on trial in the Victorian Supreme Court over allegations stories published after Cardinal Pell was convicted of child sex abuse charges in December 2018 breached a suppression order.

All of the media organisations are fighting the charges.

The trial before Justice John Dixon began on Monday and prosecutor Lisa De Ferrari SC dropped one charge each of breaching a suppression order and sub judice contempt against three online editors of News Corp mastheads on Thursday morning.

She also dropped charges of sub judice contempt in relation to online articles published on the Herald Sun, Geelong Advertiser, Daily Telegraph Weekly Times and The Advertiser websites.

In the statement of claim, the Director of Public Prosecution claimed the online articles had a serious tendency to prejudice the fair trial of Cardinal Pell on further charges known as the “swimmers trial” which did not proceed.

Many of the stories by Australian media mentioned a “high profile Australian” had been convicted but didn’t identify Cardinal Pell or the offences.

Ms De Ferrari has told the court some of the reports by Australian media charged in the proceedings “encouraged” the public to seek out overseas articles via Google that named Cardinal Pell as the person convicted.

No overseas media organisation has been charged with breaching the suppression order.

Cardinal Pell was ultimately acquitted by the High Court of abusing two choirboys in St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996 when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

He spent 13 months in jail before being freed and has since returned to Rome.