Ex-Vatican treasurer Pell loses appeal against sex abuse convictions, returns to prison

Cardinal George Pell

 

Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell lost an appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choir boys and will remain in prison for at least another three years, an Australian court ruled on Wednesday.

Pell, the highest ranking Catholic worldwide to be convicted of child sex offences, was sentenced in March to six years in jail after being found guilty on five charges of abusing the two boys at St Patrickโ€™s Cathedral while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s.

Supreme Court of Victoria Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said on Wednesday that two of the three judges hearing Pellโ€™s appeal โ€œdecided that it was open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Cardinal Pell was guilty of the offences chargedโ€ and rejected his appeal.

The jury in the trial heard testimony from a victim who described how Pell had exposed himself to the two boys, fondled their genitals and masturbated and forced one boy to perform a sex act on him. The other victim died in 2014.

โ€œThe criminal process has been stressful. The journey has taken me to places that, in my darkest moments, I feared I could not return from,โ€ he said in the statement.

Under the terms of his sentencing, Pell will be eligible for parole in October 2022, when he will be 81.

โ€œCardinal Pell is obviously disappointed with the decision today,โ€ his spokeswoman, Katrina Lee, said in a statement, adding that he maintained his innocence.

She said his legal team was examining the judgment to determine whether to lodge a special leave application to the High Court of Australia to hear an appeal. Pell has 28 days to file the application.

There was no immediate comment from the Vatican.

Pell appealed his conviction to Victoriaโ€™s Court of Appeal on three grounds, but mainly on the argument that the juryโ€™s verdict was unreasonable based on the evidence at the trial.

However the court ruled in a 2-1 judgment that the conviction was reasonable, with two judges saying the surviving victim was a โ€œcompelling witness, was clearly not a liar, was not a fantasist and was a witness of truthโ€.

โ€œAs might have been expected, there were some things which he could remember and many things which he could not. And his explanations of why that was so had the ring of truth,โ€ said the two judges.

In contrast they said the evidence by people supporting Pell varied in quality and consistency.

They dismissed Pellโ€™s argument that sexual abuse would have been physically impossible due to his heavy robes, saying โ€œthe robes were capable of being maneuvered in a way that might be described as being moved or pulled to one side or pulled apartโ€.

Outside the court in Melbourne, small groups of activists and victims of abuse cheered once they heard the verdict.

โ€œHere we have today in our court, in Victoria, the Supreme Court, saying, โ€˜we believe the victim and we uphold the juryโ€™s verdictโ€™,โ€ Chrissie Foster, a prominent advocate for victims who has followed the case, told reporters.

โ€œNo one is above the law,โ€ she said.

(Reuters)

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