AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
VIEW THE TRANSCRIPTS OF THE INQUIRY HERE
HE’D spent five days in and out of the witness box, but Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox was unwavering when asked the same question for the fifth time during his cross-examination yesterday.
Yes, he thought the police strike force set up to investigate child abuse cover-ups within the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese was set up to fail.
Yes, he ignored orders from superiors and shared information with a journalist; yes he lied to colleagues; yes he thought his standing down from the investigation was corrupt; yes he thought police handling of the investigation was a sham; and yes, he thought senior Catholic clergy should be called to account.
During his final cross-examination before the Special Commission of Inquiry in Newcastle yesterday, Mr Fox was accused of a ‘‘character assassination’’ of several police appointed to roles on Strike Force Lantle.
The strike force was set up in 2010 after a string of revelations by the Newcastle Herald raised questions about senior Catholic clergy and how they handled allegations against disgraced former priests Denis McAlinden and James Fletcher.
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.