Camp Blah Blog: 2019

Convicted Child Sex Offender George Pell

Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s highest-ranking Catholic, has been found guilty of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys 22 years ago.

The abuse took place at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne, when Pell was the Archbishop of Melbourne and was leading the Melbourne Response, a compensation scheme for victims of paedophile priests
Here is a timeline of his career, the police investigation and his court trials.

His career:

June 8, 1941 Cardinal George Pell was born in Ballarat - Trinity Sunday. His father, George senior, was a gold miner and his mother a devout Irish Catholic. Pell was raised in the Ballarat home built by his maternal grandfather. He rose to become the Archbishop in both Melbourne and Sydney, before going on to Rome where he became one of Pope Francis’ most trusted advisors in the Vatican. Pell was educated at St Patrick's College in Ballarat and Corpus Christi College in Werribee, before studying at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. He has a PhD in church history from Oxford University and a masters in education from Monash University.

1966 Ordained a priest for the Ballarat diocese in St Peter's Basilica.

1971 Assistant Priest at Swan Hill.

1973-1983 Assistant Priest at Ballarat East parish.

1978-1979 Episcopal Vicar for Education in the Ballarat diocese.

1987 Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne.

1993 Pell walks priest Gerald Ridsdale to court in Melbourne. Ridsdale is later convicted of a string of serious child sex abuse charges and becomes known as one of Australia’s most notorious paedophile priests.

1996 Appointed Archbishop of Melbourne.

2001 Appointed Archbishop of Sydney, the Australian Catholic church's most senior position.

2003 Appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Sacred College of Cardinals.

2014 Appointed to be the first prefect of the church’s Secretariat for the Economy - in effect the Vatican’s treasurer. He is welcomed into the Pope’s inner circle of trusted advisors known as the Group of Nine, or C-9.

The investigation

2015 A man in his 30s contacts police to report he was sexually abused by Pell in the 1990s as a choirboy, at St Patrick’s Cathedral. He also reports that his friend, who died in accidental circumstances as an adult, was also sexually assaulted by Pell.

February 20, 2016 It's revealed that a Victoria Police taskforce has been investigating historical sexual abuse allegations against Cardinal Pell.

February 28, 2016 Giving evidence in Rome to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Cardinal Pell admits to "catastrophic failures" by the Catholic Church in relation to child sexual abuse, an issue he says was on his radar from the early 1970s.

July 27, 2016 The ABC's 7.30 program details complaints against Cardinal Pell being investigated by Victoria Police.

October 2016 Victorian detectives travel to Rome to meet Cardinal Pell, who voluntarily participates in an interview. He emphatically denies the allegations when they are put to him.

February 2017 A police brief of evidence regarding sex assault allegations against Cardinal Pell is handed to prosecutors for review.

May 13, 2017 ABC journalist Louise Milligan's book Cardinal: The Rise And Fall of George Pell is published. The book contains new allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Pell.

May 14, 2017 Cardinal Pell's lawyers strongly deny the allegations raised in the book.

May 16, 2017 Victoria Police receives advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions about the brief of evidence. Police refuse to comment.

May 18, 2017 Cardinal Pell restates his innocence in Rome, saying: "We have to respect due process, wait until it is concluded and obviously I will continue to co-operate fully."
May 25, 2017 Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton says a decision about charging Cardinal Pell is "imminent".

June 29, 2017 Victoria Police announces the cardinal will be charged on summons in relation to "multiple" offences. In Rome, Cardinal Pell denies the allegations and says: "I'm looking forward, finally, to having my day in court." He returns to Australia in following days.

July 26, 2017 Cardinal Pell faces Melbourne Magistrates Court, where his lawyer Robert Richter, QC, says his client intends to plead not guilty to all charges.

March 1, 2018 Prosecutors announce they will withdraw one of the charges because one of the accusers has died.
March 5, 2018 Pell faces Melbourne Magistrates Court for a committal hearing, which determines whether he is to face trial.

May 1, 2018 Magistrate Belinda Wallington commits Pell to trial on multiple charges of historic sexual assault involving multiple accusers. She strikes out other charges. Pell pleads not guilty.

August 15, 2018 Pell's first trial starts in the County Court, on allegations he sexually abused two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s as Archbishop of Melbourne. Pell pleads not guilty to five charges.

September 20, 2018 The jury is discharged after it is unable to reach a verdict after five days of deliberations.

November 7, 2018 A retrial begins on the same allegations. Pell pleads not guilty to five charges.

December 11, 2018 Pell is found guilty of five charges of sexual assault. Chief Judge Peter Kidd grants bail for Pell to return to court in February 2019 for a pre-sentence hearing but advises him he will be remanded in custody after that hearing.