In Richter we trust: George Pell’s backers stand by QC

Many consider Robert Richter to be the finest criminal lawyer of his generation but the battle to clear ­George Pell’s name was as difficult as any in his career.

Cardinal George Pell's lawyer Robert Richter QC. Picture: AAP

Robert Richter QC is considered by many of his peers to be the finest­ criminal lawyer of his generation, but the battle to clear ­George Pell’s name has been as frustrating and difficult as any in his career.

Mr Richter has flagged that he will seek in the Court of Appeal to determine whether the Pell jury got the verdict right and whether the jury was properly constituted.

His decision not to allow Pell to give evidence at his trials has raised questions in some legal circles. But those familiar with Pell’s unpredictable public responses are convinced the at-times accident-prone cardinal would have been too great a gamble with a jury.

Mr Richter sought during sentencing submissions yesterday to set up a framework where Chief Judge Peter Kidd of Victoria’s County Court would minimise the cardinal’s sentence. It is accepted that Pell will be jailed for a lengthy period because Chief Judge Kidd was unimpressed with the idea the crimes were at the lower level of offending.

A bail application had been listed in the Court of Appeal yesterday afternoon but was withdrawn, leaving the cardinal to spend his first night in prison.

Mr Richter ignited a social media frenzy yesterday when he declared: “This is no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case where a child is not volunteering or actively participating.’’

But what his critics didn’t ­acknowledge was that it is his job to ­advocate for his clients in the clearest, perhaps even at times bluntest, fashion.

He also was abused outside the court, prompting a warning by Chief Judge Kidd that any repeat could see offenders face contempt charges.

 

Mr Richter, 74, submitted 10 character references on Pell’s behalf­, including from former prime minister John Howard.

“These people love him; none of them believe he is capable of these offences,” Mr Richter said, adding that Pell was a man of the “highest character”.

Mr Richter’s personal views on many social issues differ starkly from Pell’s, but he has never shied away from high-profile, controversial clients, who have included former beer baron John Elliott, former Carlton identity Mick Gatto, former Aboriginal leader Geoff Clark and former Victorian minister Theo Theophanous, who was accused of rape.

Mr Gatto was cleared in the first murder trial arising from Melbourne­’s underworld war when a Supreme Court jury acquit­ted him over the shooting of hitman ­Andrew “Benji” Veniamin. Mr Gatto admitted shooting 28-year-old Veniamin but said he was acting in self-defence.

In 1996, Mr Richter successfully defended Mr Elliott after he allegedly illegally moved almost $70 million from Elders IXL to “Equiticorp Tasman Ltd”.

Pell’s representation has cost the cardinal’s backers many hundred­s of thousands of dollars. The names of all those backers have yet to surface, but reflect his considerable popularity, particularly among conservative church followers.

Mr Richter is being assisted by criminal barrister Ruth Shann, considered one of the rising stars of the criminal bar in Victoria.

Mr Richter was opposed in the Pell matter by Mark Gibson SC, whose closing in the second Pell trial relied heavily on the credibilit­y of the surviving victim.