Officer Questions Whether Child Sex Abuse Whistleblower Peter Fox Has Handed over All Documents

By Dan Cox
ABC News
June 27, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-27/claims-of-plans-to-sack-whistleblower-cop-labelled-nonsense/4785700


A senior policeman has told a NSW inquiry he has never been sure whistleblower policeman Peter Fox handed over all documents relating to child sexual abuse in the Hunter Valley Catholic Church.

Detective Chief Inspector Fox says he was told by superiors to stop investigating two priests, and claims the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese did not cooperate with police.

In testimony to the special commission of inquiry at Newcastle Supreme Court, Detective Inspector Graham Parker said police were given an official direction at a meeting in December 2010 not to speak to media.

That contradicts earlier evidence from other police that it was an informal order.

Inspector Fox was also told to hand over all documents relating to clergy abuse but Inspector Parker said he had never been sure he received everything from him.

Inspector Parker said he always had some concern about what had been withheld.

He also told the court that in a meeting in November 2010, local Fairfax Media newspaper the Newcastle Herald was identified as having a "pipeline" to the investigation.

He said it had to be stopped because it was hampering the investigation.

When questioned by counsel assisting the commission, Inspector Parker agreed that a media strategy had been adopted to glean more information from the public.

Earlier, Inspector Fox's supervisor, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Humphrey, told the court any claims he had "sinister motives" to remove Inspector Fox from the police force were "nonsense".

He described Inspector Fox as "superfluous", meaning he had no bearing on his decisions.

He told the court there was no formal complaint made against Detective Chief Inspector Fox over suspicions he was leaking information to the media because there was not enough evidence.

Inspector Humphrey said he was not happy with the slow progress of Strike Force Lantle, which was established to investigate the allegations of concealment by clergy.

But he said the investigation "was important" and he was "not reluctant" to challenge senior Catholic clergy on the allegations.