AUSTRALIA
The Australian
DAN BOX From: The Australian May 16, 2013
A DETECTIVE who claimed to be blowing the whistle on church child abuse has endangered the victims of crime by leaking a confidential witness statement to the press, an inquiry has heard.
Giving evidence to the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry this morning, one of the state’s most experienced investigators, Paul Jacob, said the decision, by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, could have jeopardised the police inquiry.
“It may affect the security of the investigation,”Detective Inspector Jacob said. “It may affect the security of the victims when they are giving evidence.
“If I was a defence barrister … that would be a huge feeding ground of opportunity for me to attack that victim’s credibility.
“In my view that endangers victims of crime when we should be doing everything we can to put usable material before the court.”
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