George Pell accuser’s sister speaks out

The sister of a man whose sex abuse case against George Pell was abandoned this week has spoken out for the first time.

The Eureka Stockade pool in Ballarat, where Cardinal George Pell is accused of molesting two boys while they played there.

The sister of a man whose sex abuse case against George Pell was abandoned by prosecutors this week says the words and ­actions of the cardinal’s defenders have brought pain and darkness to her, her family and other abuse survivors.

The Ballarat woman’s brother and another, since-deceased, man had accused Pell of molesting them while they played at the town’s Eureka swimming pool in the late 1970s.

The Weekend Australian has chosen not to name the woman or her brother for legal reasons.

On Tuesday, prosecutors dropped the charges against Pell, allowing a suppression order on reporting of his December conviction for abusing two boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne to be lifted.

In a long statement she has permitted The Weekend Australian to publish, the sister said she understood and was comfortable with the reasons her brother’s case was no longer being pursued.

“The purpose of this letter is not to rage against the abandonment of that trial, but a response to comments made by and the ­actions of a few particular men in the public eye over recent days,” she wrote, singling out Pell’s barrister Robert Richter QC, former prime minister John Howard, who wrote a reference for Pell, and Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt and Jesuit priest Frank Brennan, who wrote articles in Pell’s defence.

“All of you have had something to say that has affected me — now it’s my turn.”

She said the impact of child sexual abuse inflicted by members of the Catholic Church had first been felt in her family home ­almost 40 years ago and culminated in the loss of another brother — who was abused by a different priest — to commit suicide a little more than a decade ago.

“I did not think that my family could ever experience a pain and a darkness like that ever again. But I was wrong,” the sister wrote.

“The decision to come forward with allegations against George Pell, almost four years ago, set my brother, myself and my family on a journey that has had equally dark times and inflicted stress that I did not, at times, think we would ­survive.”

She said the words of Mr Richter, who has since apologised for describing Pell’s St Patrick’s offence as “no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case”, had gone “round and round” in her mind since she first read them.

“The impact those words had on survivors is well documented across social media platforms. They will impact survivors for days, weeks and for some months,” she wrote.

She then turned to Mr Howard, Bolt and Father Brennan.

“Social media has facilitated an overwhelming negative public response to the decision by John Howard for providing a character reference,” she wrote.

“Andrew Bolt’s continued tirades depict the victims as unreliable and worse, always with his trademark air of arrogance and judgment.

“Father Frank Brennan used his position and the media, to demonstrate the ‘innocence’ of his friend because it ‘simply wasn’t possible’, providing details about time here and there as well as garments supposedly secured.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at Melbourne County Court earlier this week.

The sister’s full statement:

I am the sister of a complainant (and myself a witness) in the now abandoned ‘swimmers trial’ against George Pell — the reasons for which I fully understand and am comfortable with.

I want to be clear the purpose of this letter is not to rage against the abandonment of that trial but a response to comments made by and the actions of a few particular men in the public eye over recent days.

All of you have had something to say that has affected me — now it’s my turn.

The impact of child sexual abuse inflicted by members of the Catholic Church began reverberating in my family home almost 40 years ago and culminated in the loss of a brother to suicide just over 10 years ago.

I did not think that my family could ever experience a pain and a darkness like that ever again. But I was wrong.

The decision to come forward with allegations against George Pell, almost four years ago, set my brother, myself and my family on a journey that has had equally dark times and inflicted stress that I did not, at times, think we would survive.

The words spoken by Robert Richter in court on Wednesday (I will not repeat them) have gone

round and round in my mind since I first read them.

The impact those words had on survivors is well documented across social media platforms, they will impact survivors for days, weeks and for some months.

I am sorry you had to endure such disrespect and further harm. I hope that you have the

support and care that you need right now.

What I also observe is the impact those words had on ‘us’ who are not victims. Why? Because they gave us an incomprehensible taste of what survivors face and endure through the various systems they navigate for both justice and compensation.

It was unimaginable to the ordinary person that such an abhorrent experience could be referred to in such a callous way, in an effort to extract leniency. I also lost sleep.

Social media has facilitated an overwhelming negative public response to the decision by John

Howard for providing a character reference.

Andrew Bolt’s continued tirades depict the victims as unreliable and worse, always with his trademark air of arrogance and judgment.

Father Frank Brennan used his position and the media, to demonstrate the ‘innocence’ of his friend because it ‘simply wasn’t possible’, providing details about time here and there as well as garments supposedly secured.

Thousands of victims who told their stories to the royal commission recounted how acts of abuse could occur in the most brazen and ‘impossible’ ways — predators strike when you least expect it, with speed and precision and if well-practised in the slightest of opportune moments.

What dampens my rage and instead restores my faith in being human is how the public has sent the strongest of messages to these men of white privilege and power.

You no longer rule our world.

As they scramble to hold on to their perceived entitlement, they continue to personify what enabled a system of abuse against children for all to see.

The well-deserved public backlash that has been directed at these men has been both eloquent and raw and completely united in its message — you are no longer of much interest to us.

For they have been conquered by 12 ordinary people, installed on a jury and tasked with listening to “all” the evidence and to return a verdict beyond reasonable doubt — they were unanimous — guilty.

It can’t have been easy, will have taken courage and conviction, caused sleepless nights and

returned them to their families changed from their experience.

In all of this noise, their message comes through quietly, powerfully and is directed to those who have not yet come forward and sadly to those who are yet to have their experience — you are safe, we believe you. Thank you, to the 12, for inspiring me to use my voice and my right to free speech.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or beyondblue 1300 224 636.