Cardinal may serve whole term in solitary

George Pell’s life is in serious danger in jail and he will effectively remain in solitary confinement to protect him.

Cardinal George Pell. Picture: AFP

George Pell’s life is in serious danger­ in jail and he will effectively remain in solitary confinement until prison authorities can find a way to protect him.

As he contends with serious health issues, Corrections Victoria is examining when he will be able to be moved from a maximum-securit­y assessment facility to a more permanent prison, possibly with other sex offenders.

The County Court heard yesterday that Corrections Victoria’s sentence management unit had filed an affidavit with the court detailin­g that Pell, 77, was at serious­ risk because of the type of offending and his high profile.

The department’s assistant commissioner of the Sentence Management Unit, who was not named in court, said Pell was “at immediate risk of serious threat’’.

The Australian understands Pell could be moved to one of two facilities in western Victoria, where sex offenders or low-security­ prisoners are kept in relative safety. The most likely prison he would be sent to is the Hopkins Correctional Centre at Ararat, about 200km west of Melbourne, where sex offenders are kept in a medium-security facility that provides protection for some inmates.

A second option is the minim­um-security Langi Kal Kal prison farm, about 150km west of Melbourne, near Pell’s home city of Ballarat.

County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd said the prosecution had relied on an affidavit by the assistant commissioner of the sentence management unit, signed last Friday.

“As the affidavit highlights, there are concerns about your notoriety­ and the extremely high-profile nature of your case,’’ Chief Judge Kidd said.

“This gives rise to security and safety concerns. The assistant commissioner can say no more than that the safety risk towards you — currently assessed as ‘at immediat­e risk of serious threat’ — may be reduced in protection so that in time you may be able to mix with a limited number of heavily vetted prisoners.

“I emphasised the use of the term ‘may’. I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities, however, that even with the best will in the world, your time in prison will be materially and negatively impact­ed upon because of these issues.

“Your position is not improved because of your advanced years and the vulnerability which goes with that.’’

The Australian understands Pell remains stoic and optimistic about his chances of winning an appeal against his conviction, which led to a six-year jail term

It is believed Pell is reading enthusiastically and, in the lead-up to being incarcerated in Melbourne’s Metropolitan Assessment Prison, had been optimistic that the legal system would ultimately vindicate him. It is believed that before being jailed Pell had been reading church literature, books and magazines, including The Spectator.

Chief Judge Kidd also outlined serious concerns about Pell’s health, declaring: “While it is a matter of speculation as to how long you will live, the fact is you are of advanced years and are entering the last phase of your life.’’

Pell’s health ailments include a significant history of cardiac problems, hypertension and congestive heart failure. He also has a dual-chamber pacemaker.

Chief Judge Kidd said: “While stable out of custody, it is the opinion of one of your treating doctors that stress is an aggravator of tendency to heart failure if your blood pressure is not controlled.

“Your doctor has also observed that your blood pressure has previously been more difficult to control (under) stress. One might anticipate the quality of your health will decline over time.

“The medical evidence does indicate­ that your heart and blood pressure conditions will be aggrav­ated by stress.’’

A Corrections Victoria spokesman said: “Corrections Victoria does not discuss individual prisoners. Corrections authorities conduct rigorous security and risk assessments on anyone coming into the prison system to ensure their placement is safe and secure.”