AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
By Adam Cooper
17 April 2018
Allegations of sexual abuse against George Pell were the stuff of fantasy, impossible and made by witnesses with no credibility, the cardinal’s lawyer has told a court as he sought to have charges against Australia’s most senior Catholic thrown out.
Defence counsel Robert Richter, QC, on Tuesday urged magistrate Belinda Wallington to discharge Cardinal Pell of multiple historic sexual abuse charges rather than commit him to stand trial, because, he said, there was no way a jury could find the charges proven.
Cardinal Pell must now wait a fortnight before learning whether he will front a jury in a higher court, as Ms Wallington takes time to consider written and oral submissions from the 76-year-old’s defence team and prosecutors. Ms Wallington will announce her decision on May 1.
Rocking gently from side to side over almost two hours at the lectern in Melbourne Magistrates Court, Mr Richter expanded on a series of points as to why his client should not be sent to trial, focusing mainly on what he said were major flaws in the evidence of two accusers.
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