Pell will stand trial, Aust judge rules
MELBOURNE: Cardinal George Pell will have to stand trial on several charges of historical sexual offences involving multiple complainants, an Australian judge has ruled.
Belinda Wallington, a supervising magistrate on sexual offences at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, has found enough evidence in several charges against Pell for the case to go to trial. She reached the decision yesterday after a fourweek committal hearing.
The charges go back decades. Several were dropped and several others were struck out.
The names of the complainants, the details of the allegations and the charges against Pell cannot be reported due to legal reasons.
Pell has consistently denied all allegations.
The 76yearold is the highestranking Catholic official having to stand trial for sexual abuse. He is currently on leave from the Vatican, where he was one of Pope Francis’ most senior aides.
Pell, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and clerical collar, showed no emotion as the judge read the charges against him, often staring down at the floor. He appeared frail and sat next to his supporters.
He entered the courtroom flanked by his legal team and guarded by more than two dozen police officers. He waited to be frisked for weapons in standard security procedures before entering the court.
Dozens of journalists, photographers and camera operators were waiting for him outside the building. Neither he nor his legal team made any comment before going into the building.
Due to the growing interest in the case, the hearing took place in the court building’s largest room. It was fully seated with 90 people.
Several protesters had been waiting for him outside the court since early morning. One of them said she was standing in solidarity with ‘‘the victims and survivors, in general [and not related to Pell], who have suffered due to the abuse at the hands of priests and others.’’
The court hearing is ongoing. Pell will now have to formally enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. His lawyer told a previ ous hearing that the cardinal would plead not guilty.
Since Pell returned from Rome to face the court in July, he has lain low, staying at Good Shepherd Seminary in Homebush, a quiet Sydney suburb, and flying to Melbourne for his court hearings. — DPA