AUSTRALIA
Maitland Mercury
By ELLE WATSON May 16, 2013
Plans to search Sydney Archbishop George Pell’s office were stalled because sex abuse strike force detectives could not get a crucial victim’s statement, a Commission of Inquiry heard yesterday.
Former Newcastle crime manager Detective Chief Inspector Brad Tayler said Strike Force Lantle – the investigation into the alleged Catholic Church sexual abuse cover-up – became “virtually stagnant” when a witness refused to give a statement to police.
The inquiry heard the woman made a formal complaint about one of Mr Tayler’s investigators who she said made her feel under pressure to give a statement.
“The whole problem with this was we wanted to investigate it but we couldn’t get it off the ground because we couldn’t get a statement off this witness,” Mr Tayler said.
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