AUSTRALIA
Sky News
Cardinal George Pell knew a law firm defending the Catholic Church in an abuse claim would refuse to mediate, challenge the victim’s claims and oppose it on time limit grounds, an inquiry has heard.
Lawyer Paul McCann, a partner at Corrs Chambers Wesgarth, was giving evidence to the royal commission into child sexual abuse about his firm’s actions for the church and the then-Archbishop of Sydney Dr Pell in 2004.
His firm was instructed to defend the case brought by abuse victim John Ellis.
Mr Ellis was abused for five years by priest Father Aidan Duggan at Bass Hill in Sydney, starting in 1974, when Mr Ellis was 13.
Documents shown to the royal commission showed Mr McCann advised the church would ‘vigorously defend’ the case on the grounds of a time limitation applying to when an action could be commenced.
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