AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Helen Vines
Updated 19 Aug 2014
The head of the Catholic Church’s response to sexual abuse allegations encouraged victims to go to the police, the child abuse royal commission has heard.
Peter O’Callaghan, QC, has been the independent commissioner for the abuse complaint handling process, known as the Melbourne Response, since it was set up in 1996 by then Melbourne Archbishop George Pell.
Mr O’Callaghan has come in for criticism during the current proceedings, with two witnesses telling the commission he discouraged them from taking their claims to the police.
Giving evidence to the commission, Mr O’Callaghan said he encouraged victims to go to the police, and some followed his advice, while others did not.
He agreed with counsel assisting Gail Furness SC that if police were investigating a complaint, his own investigation stopped because “it would be a concurrent investigation and quite inappropriate”.
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