AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
By JASON GORDON May 13, 2013
READ THE INQUIRY TRANSCRIPTS HERE
A SENIOR police officer wanted an investigation into alleged child sex abuse cover-ups within the Catholic Church referred ‘‘up the chain’’ to State Crime Command because of allegations made against former Hunter priest and high-profile Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson.
Former chief inspector Brad Tayler told the Special Commission of Inquiry in Newcastle yesterday that he thought Archbishop Wilson’s profile ‘‘had a scope that would have political issues’’ attached to it.
Mr Tayler, who has since left the police force, was giving evidence before Commissioner Margaret Cunneen on the sixth day of the inquiry’s Newcastle hearings.
Mr Tayler was the crime manager within the Lake Macquarie police command when police received information relating to Church cover-ups from Newcastle Herald journalist Joanne McCarthy.
Mr Tayler told the inquiry that, given the scant resources in local police commands and the high profile of Archbishop Wilson, he believed the matter should be referred to state detectives.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.