Milligan denies ‘distorting’ Pell story

Louise Milligan has rejected accusations she omitted information in order to “poison the public’s mind” against Cardinal George Pell.

ABC journalist Louise Milligan has defended her story in court. Picture: AAP

ABC investigative journalist Louise Milligan has rejected accusations that she omitted information from her reports in order to “distort” a story about Cardinal George Pell and “poison the public’s mind” against him, a court heard today.

Milligan is giving evidence at a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today about her interactions with alleged victims of Cardinal Pell, whose interviews were broadcast on the ABC’s 7.30 program and also included in her book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell.

Cardinal Pell, 76, is Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic and is charged with multiple historical sex charges relating to multiple complainants. The committal hearing will determine whether he faces trial.

Cardinal Pell’s barrister Robert Richter QC accused Milligan of “distortions” and omitting information to “poison the public’s mind”

Mr Richter pointed out inconsistencies between the description of the alleged offending one of the accusers told police and then later gave to Milligan, and quoted from her 14 page police statement where she said she looked at the differences.

“It was such a clear contradiction wasn’t it?” Mr Richter said.

Milligan said she asked the alleged victim about the exact nature of the offending “because I was being a diligent journalist”.

“The fact is you were trying to reconcile things,” Mr Richter said.

“What you did was try and reconcile things by omitting things that would damage credibility of [the complainant],” Mr Richter said. “You distorted what went to out to the public… to poison the public’s mind.”

Milligan said: “I completely and utterly reject that.”

The court heard the man also denied part of the allegations he made to Milligan when he gave evidence earlier this month.

Mr Richter further questioned the reliability of the alleged victim who took part in a televised interview with Milligan and featured in her book.

The court heard the man had stayed in a psychiatric facility and was allegedly the victim of sexual offending by another religious figure.

Mr Richter described the man as a “troubled soul” and asked whether Milligan told the public the “blemishes and all” account of someone making serious allegations.

Milligan replied: “I stand by my story.”

Mr Richter referred to Milligan’s book Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, detailing allegations against Cardinal Pell which was withdrawn from sale in Victoria after the cardinal was charged.

He highlighted her chapter on credibility and questioned whether the alleged victims were credible.

“In my book i write a chapter about credibility and I write about the process in which someone’s credibility is torn apart in this sort of forum because they have a criminal past,” Milligan said.

“When they come to this process, where we are now, they have a disadvantage and they could be torn apart by people like you.”

Mr Richter questioned the disadvantage faced by people charged with historical sex offending.

“You don’t think that people facing allegations after 40 years also have a disadvantage because they need to look for witnesses that might be dead?” he asked.

The court heard the man gave evidence he was “in meltdown” when he spoke to Milligan but she said she couldn’t recall him telling her that.

“I told her I was in the middle of a meltdown,” the man testified in closed court sessions.

Mr Richter questioned Milligan about whether the man told her Cardinal Pell should have prevented his brother being sexually abused by another religious figure and if he said he wanted to kill Cardinal Pell.

Milligan said she remembered him talking about wanting to kill the cardinal but said the man was talking about the fact that Cardinal Pell had allegedly committed a sex offence against him.

“[He’s] not talking about the fact that he held Cardinal Pell responsible for covering up for pedophiles?” Mr Richter asked.

The court heard Milligan did not include it in the television report after advice from ABC management and a queens counsel.

The hearing continues.