With that, we will leave you. Thank you for joining us today. And a big thanks to my colleague Melissa Davey, who brought you the news from the courts precinct in Melbourne’s CBD.
The key takeaway is that Cardinal George Pell, once the third most powerful Catholic in the world, will spend at least three years and eight months in prison. He faces a maximum sentence of six years for sexually assaulting two boys in the 1990s.
Pell has appealed. In June, a court will determine whether he has grounds to do so.
Thanks again, and a reminder, if today’s events have been distressing, there is help available.
Blue Knot Foundation – 1300 657 380
Support for survivors of childhood trauma.
Bravehearts Inc – 1800 272 831
Counselling and support for survivors, child protection advocacy.
1800 Respect – 1800 737 732
24-hour telephone and online crisis support, information and immediate referral to specialist counselling for anyone in Australia who has experienced or been affected by sexual assault, or domestic or family violence.
Lifeline – 13 11 14
24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention.
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
Free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people.
Care Leavers Australasia Network – 1800 008 774
Support and advocacy for people brought up in care homes.
Child Migrants Trust – 1800 040 509
Social work services for former child migrants, including counselling and support for family reunions.
Child Wise – 1800 991 099
Trauma informed telephone and online counselling for childhood abuse. Training and organisational capacity-building on child abuse prevention.
• For a list of support services by state, visit the information page of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
Chrissie Foster, whose two daughters were raped by Father Kevin O’Donnell, also reflected on today’s events.
She said of the fact Pell will spend a minimum of three years and eight months behind bars: “I think it’s reasonable and it’s far better than a suspended sentence for a first offence.”
Foster was hopeful that Pell’s appeal would not proceed, saying he was “very particular” in his handling of the trial. “I think he did things properly.”
She also reiterated her call for an end to the Melbourne Response, a compensation scheme for abuse victims devised by Pell. Critics argued that it resulted in some victims accepting less-than-satisfactory sums of compensation, while signing away their rights to pursue civil claims in the courts.
Updated
'It's not going to bring my son back': victim's father
The other 13-year-old boy who was abused by Pell died in 2014 of a heroin overdose. He never spoke about the abuse.
His father was in the courtroom today, and spoke afterwards of his grief. He said he wanted to give the complainant, identified only as ‘J’ and who brought Pell to justice, “a hug”.
“Listening to the judge in there was hard,” he said. “I was angry inside. I felt like my son’s life was wasted, why was it wasted for some guy’s two minutes of pleasure. It’s not easy to describe, it’s not even easy to even stand here and talk.
“It’s stuff that destroys families, it destroys people.”
He described his son as “a typical boy” when he was a child.
“He got into mischief. He was honest. He liked helping his grandparents. He’d always disappear and I’d ring up my mum and she’d say, ‘Oh yeah he’s been here for the last two hours helping me cook’.”
He described sitting in the court and listening to the sentence as “extremely difficult”.
“I watched him [Pell] being walking out of that court and I thought to myself, ‘Well I’m going to sleep in my bed tonight. Where are you sleeping?’.”
But he added: “It’s not going to bring my son back”.
He remembered going to AFL games with his son, always sitting in the members’ area, and how his son would go and buy bottles of water for the elderly Carlton supporters that sat behind them.
“Every week they’d come along with containers of lollies and cakes and things and there would always be a cake there for my son,” he said.
Updated
A statement from the Labor leader Bill Shorten:
My thoughts today are with all those Australians for whom this case reawakens old trauma and all those Australians still mourning someone stolen by the pain of child abuse.
We can never underestimate the courage and resilience it takes for a survivor of child abuse to seek justice.
One of the cold hard truths revealed by prime minister Gillard’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse was that survivors and victims who sought help were seldom believed.
Instead, against the weight and power of both church and the state, they were marginalised, shamed and reabused. For decades, institutions chose to cover for offenders and conceal their crimes because they valued their reputations more than the lives of children in their care.
Last year, as a parliament and a nation we apologised for the abuse, the neglect, the wilful blindness, the cries for help that were heard and ignored. But saying sorry wasn’t the end of the road. The test is actions, not words. That’s why we need faster progress on national redress for survivors and why every institution needs to sign up, immediately.
Updated
Abuse inquiries to law firm 'doubled' since Pell conviction
Shine Lawyers represents the father of the victim who died at 31 from a drug overdose.
The firm says that since Pell’s conviction was made public, enquiries to the to its abuse team have more than doubled.
Shine’s national abuse law manager, Lisa Flynn, said the father was “disappointed with the short sentencing” and “has expressed sadness “over what he believes is inadequate [punishment] for the crime”.
Flynn said:
I want to be able to tell clients that perpetrators can and will be held to account for the crimes they commit, Pell’s criminal conviction is one step towards that.
Today is the start or a part of a long journey for many victims of abuse around the country. For many, the battle against the Catholic church has just begun.
This conviction is welcome relief for victims of abuse who have been waiting to feel heard. Pell’s sentencing moves that progress forward, even if only a few small steps.
I admire the courage of my client to keep fighting on behalf of his deceased son. To him, this battle is not over.
Flynn said the father was also pursuing a civil claim.
Updated
Fiona Patten, the leader of the Reason party, gave a statement outside the county court”
The Catholic church has always thought it was above the law and a law unto itself, but this court case has proven that they are not, in the most dramatic way.
We cannot allow churches to continue protecting individuals at the expense of our children’s safety and wellbeing. It is horrific to place the value of confessional privacy above the wellbeing of our children.
And, the so-called advancement of religion as a charitable status and its tax exemption must stop. Profitable businesses making lots of money should pay their fair share of tax, just like the rest of us.
Updated
The father of the other victim (who died in 2014) just said he wants to give the complainant who brought Pell to justice a hug. He misses his son so much.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
Disgrace cardinal George Pell has sat emotionless and unflinching as he was sentenced to six years in prison for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in 1996. Non-parole period three years and eight months.
— Karen Sweeney (@karenlsweeney) March 13, 2019
Updated
While you’re with us, I thought I might let you know that my colleague Melissa Davey will be doing a Reddit Ask Me Anything tomorrow from 8am.
It will definitely be worth checking out.
Announcement: I'll be answering all your questions about the Cardinal George #Pell trial at @reddit_AMA from 8am Thursday 14 March AEDT, which is 5pm Wednesday 13 March EDT. Visit Ask Me Anything [AMA https://t.co/EilnUzqDBo] then. Thanks so much in advance for your interest!
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 12, 2019
Pell’s sentencing showed he was accountable to the law – and the bravery of his accuser must be acknowledged, David Marr writes
Dr Cathy Kezelman AM – president of the Blue Knot Foundation – National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma, has released a statement, which reads in part:
Although this is a significant sentence, it is not as much as what we would’ve hoped. It’s profoundly disappointing for survivors whose own lives have been destroyed by the crime of child sexual abuse. It also makes a mockery of the concept of true accountability and is not a sentence commensurate with the crimes committed and the harm reaped.
We must remember that victims are sentenced for life. He was not.
Updated
Ballarat in regional Victoria – an epicentre of clergy abuse and George Pell’s home town – is divided over his conviction, one abuse survivor says.
Paul Auchettl, 60, attended Ballarat’s St Alipius primary school and was molested by the notorious paedophile Christian Brother Robert Best.
“He’s got a fairly light sentence,” Auchettl told the Guardian. “I think the Ballarat community is divided. There are still quite a few Catholics who are hurt and can’t believe it, they are hanging on to the idea that this is some kind of witch-hunt.”
Auchettl said the “sacredness of children” has been forgotten for the sake of protecting the church’s brand.
Photograph: Lisa Martin
Updated
If following this blog has been distressing to you, please remember there is help out there.
Blue Knot Foundation – 1300 657 380
Support for survivors of childhood trauma.
Bravehearts Inc – 1800 272 831
Counselling and support for survivors, child protection advocacy.
1800 Respect – 1800 737 732
24-hour telephone and online crisis support, information and immediate referral to specialist counselling for anyone in Australia who has experienced or been affected by sexual assault, or domestic or family violence.
Lifeline – 13 11 14
24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention.
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
Free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people.
Care Leavers Australasia Network – 1800 008 774
Support and advocacy for people brought up in care homes.
Child Migrants Trust – 1800 040 509
Social work services for former child migrants, including counselling and support for family reunions.
Child Wise – 1800 991 099
Trauma informed telephone and online counselling for childhood abuse. Training and organisational capacity-building on child abuse prevention.
• For a list of support services by state, visit the information page of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
Here is a comprehensive account of today’s events from my colleague Melissa Davey, who was in the county court in Melbourne for Pell’s sentencing.
Updated
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, made these remarks earlier in the day.
“I would just ask Australians today to get around those who have been victims of child sexual abuse,” Morrison told reporters ahead of the verdict handed down at 11.15am.
“Let them know we know it happened, that we want to help you be stronger and to survive what is the most abominable you could think that could happen to an individual with a breach of trust.
“For me, it’s about those against who this abuse was directed and acted upon. It’s the most abhorrent thing I can think of.”
Updated
Here is a rough transcription of J’s statement, read by his lawyer, Viv Waller. A choirboy in the 1990s, J has remained anonymous throughout the process. Waller reminds the media and others that it is an offence to publish details that may identify the victim.
I respect what the judge said. It was meticulous and it was considered. It is hard for me to allow myself to feel the gravity of this moment.
The moment when the sentence is handed down, the moment when justice is done. It is hard for me, for the time being, to take comfort in this outcome.
I appreciate that the court has acknowledged what was inflicted upon me as a child. However, there is no rest for me.
Everything is overshadowed by the forthcoming appeal.
I am aware of a lot of public comment by people who are critical of my evidence. Regardless of the outcome of the appeal – a few facts will always remain.
I gave evidence for several days. I was cross-examined by Pell’s defence counsel. A jury has unanimously accepted the truth of my evidence.
Pell chose not to give evidence. The jury did not hear from him. He did not allow himself to be cross-examined.
I have played my part as best I can. I took the difficult step of reporting to police about a high-profile person, and I stood up to give my evidence.”
Updated
Dr Viv Waller comes out of the court to applause. She’s the victim’s lawyer. pic.twitter.com/Czb060ovDF
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
'Everything is overshadowed by the appeal': victim's lawyer
Vivian Waller, the lawyer representing one of the victims, J, is holding a press conference.
Waller notes that there is an appeal process that must play out. He does not want to comment on the sentence. But she reads a long statement from him.
I respect what the judge said. It was meticulous and it was considered. It is hard for me to allow myself to feel the gravity of this moment.
It is hard for me, for the time being, to take comfort in this outcome. I appreciate that the court has acknowledged what was inflicted upon me as a child. However, there is no rest for me. Everything is overshadowed by the forthcoming appeal.
Updated
Crowds now gathering outside of the court following the sentencing of Cardinal George Pell. pic.twitter.com/RKYDdqLIkq
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
“That is the George Pell I know. A violent criminal with breathtaking arrogance. He got his just-desserts” an advocate says outside of the court.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
Kidd also noted that because Pell maintained his innocence, which was his right, he had not shown remorse for his actions. Therefore, his sentence reflects that of someone who had not shown contrition.
Pell has lodged an appeal against his sentence, which will be heard on 5 June. At that date, the court will determine whether or not there are sufficient grounds for the appeal to be heard.
Updated
The complainant’s lawyer in this case will make a statement outside the court shortly. The father of the deceased victim will make a statement outside of the Supreme Court in about half an hour. #Pell @lukehgomes
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
Kidd's key remarks
Early on in his remarks, chief judge Peter Kidd stressed that it was not his role to be made a “scapegoat” for the Catholic church.
“We have witnessed ... examples of a witch-hunt or lynch mob mentality ... I utterly condemn this behaviour.”
But when he turned to the offences at hand, Kidd was less sympathetic. One word he returned to twice was Pell’s “arrogance”. The offences reflected “breathtaking” and “staggering” arrogance, Kidd said.
He handed down the sentence in the knowledge that Pell may not live beyond it.
I am conscious that the term of imprisonment, which I am about to impose upon you, carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison.
He acknowledged it would be a “awful stage of affairs for you”.
Updated
My colleague Melissa will have a full report of the sentence for your shortly. In the mean time, I might recap some of the key moments from Kidd’s sentencing remarks.
Updated
The final moments in court captured by our reporter Melissa Davey.
Cardinal George Pell is now signing the sex offender paperwork after being sentenced to 6 years in prison with a non parole period of 3 years and eight months.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
Pell bows at the judge, and is ow being taken away. All eyes in court on him.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
And we are adjourned. That's all.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
The ABC is interviewing victims’ advocates outside the court. “At least he’s in jail,” one woman says to applause. They say the church needs to wake up to itself.
Pell sentenced to six years in prison
Chief Judge Peter Kidd has sentenced George Pell to six years in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and eight months, for the sexual abuse of two boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s.
Kidd says that the sentencing task has not been “an easy one”.
Updated
Kidd says he will will “impose a shorter non-parole period than I otherwise would have been inclined to impose, in recognition in particular of your age, so as to increase the prospect of your living out the last part of your life in the community.”
This sentencing of Cardinal George Pell by chief judge Peter Kidd today will go down in history. It is thorough, meticulous, validating and profound. It is extraordinary to be in court to witness it.
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 13, 2019
We are turning to the cumulative sentences: this does not reflect the time Pell will actually spend in jail, which will be the effective sentence.
Pell to be a registered sex offender for life
Kidd tells Pell he will be a registered sex offender for life.
Updated
Kidd says that in relation to three of the charges, he is considered a “serious sexual offender”. He says he will not be imposing a “disproportionate sentence”, and the prosecution did not seek one.
Kidd says that though he accepts sentencing was lower then, there is now a greater understanding of the “devastating impact” of child sexual abuse, and that must be taken into account.
Kidd says he was also asked to take into account the sentencing practices at the time of the offending – that is, the 1990s.
Kidd notes the maximum penalties for Pell’s offences – 10 years – is not a starting point”. “In sentencing you, I am required to have regard to current sentencing practices,” he says.
Kidd says the sentence must demonstrate the “grave consequences” of violating the law.
Kidd says the factors in Pell’s favour, such as his old age, must be balanced against just punishment and deterrence. Those “loom large”, he says.
Kidd: “The offences you, Cardinal Pell, have committed, were each intentional offences.”
Kidd says the court must send a message to would-be offenders.
Kidd’s sentencing remarks have now lasted about 55 minutes.
Updated
Kidd says Pell’s counsel took issue with the decision to broadcast the sentencing decision. Kidd does not accept the argument, put forward by Pell’s lawyers, that this would represent further punishment for the cardinal and should therefore be considered in sentencing.
Updated
On the question of Pell’s experience in prison, Kidd says his situation is “unique”. There are security and safety concerns due to his notoriety.
Kidd says Pell has “effectively reformed”. He is “not a risk to the community” and the sentence is not aimed at protecting the community.
Updated
Kidd says he is satisfied he does not present as a risk of reoffending, noting his age and good character.
Updated
Kidd turns to the question of delay – 22 years. “The delay in this case does have some consequences,” Kidd says. It means Pell has been able to lead an “otherwise blameless life”. That will be taken into consideration, he says.
Updated
'You may not live to be released from prison': Kidd
Kidd’s full quote on that: “I am conscious that the term of imprisonment, which I am about to impose upon you, carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison. Facing jail at your age in these circumstances must be an awful state of affairs for you. You are also clearly someone with some significant enough health issues.”
Updated
Kidd says Pell’s age – he is 77 – is a key factor in his sentencing. “I am confident ... you may not live to be released from prison.”
Updated
Kidd says character references suggest Pell as a “compassionate and generous person, especially to those experiencing difficulties in their lives”.
“Someone who has a deep commitment to social justice issues and the advancement of education for young people.”
The sentence considers Pell’s offending as isolated, Kidd says.
Kidd says because Pell maintains his innocence, which is his right, there is “no evidence of your remorse or contrition” to “reduce your sentence”.
Kidd: “Viewed overall, I consider your moral culpability across both episodes to be high. I reject the submission of your counsel that the offending in the first episode, or the sexual penetration offence was at, or towards, the lower end of the spectrum of seriousness.”
'Staggering arrogance': Justice Kidd
Kidd says Pell’s counsel said he should take into account the lack of aggravating features.
“Despite there being no grooming”, Pell said had time to reflect on his offending but “failed to desist”.
The offending is made worse due to the breach of trust and power, the court hears. This elevates it, Kidd says.
“In my view, your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance,” he says.
Updated
Kidd: “The argument of your counsel that this offending was committed by you, George Pell, the man, and not by you, George Pell, the archbishop, must be roundly rejected. I do so without hesitation.”
The breaches were “grave”.
Updated
Kidd: “I think you did give thought or reflection to this offending and the only reasonable inference from the brazenness of your reoffending is that you had a degree of confidence that the victims would not complain either immediately, or by running at at some later stage.”
Kidd says Pell did not seek the victims’ silence because he felt he did not need to.
Updated
Kidd has now been speaking for about half an hour.
Kidd: “The power imbalance between the victims and the ... church leaders including yourself ... was stark.”
Kidd has turned to the issue of the breach of trust. He is dealing with the arguments from Pell’s counsel that Pell did not have a direct relationship with the victims. Quoting the court of appeal, Kidd says that there is a “fundamental relationship of trust between adults and children in institutions”. More so when the adult is in a position of power, the court hears.
“I find beyond reasonable doubt there was a clear relationship of trust with the victims and you breached that trust.”
Explaining why Pell might have taken the risks involved in his offending, Kidd says that Pell might have believed that if someone had walked in, he could have controlled the situation due to his authority as the archbishop of Melbourne. That would have been arrogant, Kidd says, but so was the offending.
Updated
Justice Kidd says that Pell’s decision to offend was a “reasoned albeit perverted one”.
Kidd: “What you did was so egregious that is fanciful to suggest you may not have fully appreciated it.”
While the first incident was “opportunistic ... had it been preplanned it would have been more serious”, Kidd says.
Kidd says the second incident is coloured by the fact he had already abused the boys and had time to consider his actions. Pell acted with “physical aggression and venom”, Kidd says.
Updated
The obvious distress of the victims is relevant to Pell’s sentence, Kidd says. They would have faced a sense of “degradation and humiliation” because each had witnessed the other’s abuse.
“It has a nasty element,” Kidd says.
Kidd says J has issues of trust and anxiety due to Pell’s offending. It has had an “significant and long-lasting impact [on] of his life.” It has impacted his relationships.
Kidd notes there is no victim statement from R, who later committed suicide. He says “[it] must have had an immediate ... impact”.
Updated
Kidd outlines the second incident of abuse. That is charge five, where Pell grabbed J’s genitals after mass one Sunday.
“Both J and R were present ... during the whole offending,” They were 13, and were crying and sobbing during the abuse, Kidd says. At some point, Pell told them to “be quiet”, Kidd says.
Kidd is outlining the facts of the case that has been accepted by the jury. The court is hearing that Pell told the victims something to the effect of “you’re in trouble”, after mass in late 1996.
Kidd says that R, the other victim who is now deceased, was struggling. J asked Pell to let them go, he said.
Kidd is outlining the sexual abuse now.
Justice Kidd turns to the facts of the case. Pell is to be sentenced on the account of J, the victim who gave evidence in the trial. Kidd says he is required to act on J’s account.
Kidd says it is Pell, not the church that is being sentenced. “We have witnessed ... examples of a witch-hunt or lynch mob mentality ... I utterly condemn this behaviour.”
Updated
Kidd says: “You are to be punished only for the particular wrongdoing you have been convicted of ... of sexually abusing two boys in the 1990s.
“You are not to be made a scapegoat ... for the Catholic church,” he adds.
Pell is not being punished for failing to report abuse, which was not the charge brought to the court, he says.
Updated
Kidd says that to some in the community, Pell is a publicly vilified figure. And that he “conscious that I am sentencing at a particular time where in recent years there has been the exposure of child sexual abuse within institutional settings, including within the Catholic church”.
Updated
Kidd says Pell was unanimously convicted. “I am mindful I am sentencing you within a unique context,” he says.
“At the time you return to Australia to face these charges, you are one of the most senior figures within the Catholic church globally. You remain a cardinal of the Catholic church. You are a figure of significant interest to those of the Catholic faith, and to those throughout Australia more generally.”
Updated
Sentencing begins
Chief Judge Peter Kidd is handing down the sentence now.
Updated
The doors next to the dock have opened. Police are waiting. Pell is about to be brought in.
There are five police officers are standing in the dock and the room is now being reminded of court protocol. That means “complete silence, and only journalists to use phones and computers”, the court is told.
The room has just been told “If you want to stay until the end you need to follow court processes... G4S security are waiting outside”
Pell has been led into the dock wearing a black shirt and his beige jacket. He is using a cane.
Updated
Prosecutor Mark Gibson has arrived with barrister Angela Ellis. #Pell
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 12, 2019
Another aspect to this worth noting is that Australia’s five-year-long inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse has never released its findings in relation to Pell.
The commission’s report was made public in 2017 but the section on Pell was redacted due to the legal action in relation to the choirboys Pell was by then facing. This report will be released after Pell’s appeal in June.
It will likely make findings about what Pell knew about abuse occurring in the parishes where he worked and whether he addressed that abuse adequately. Victoria’s office of public prosecutions would have a copy of the Pell part of the report, and the government would be likely waiting for their all-clear to release it.
Updated
If you have a few lingering questions as we get closer to today’s sentencing, this piece by Melissa Davey is worth a read.
Reporters who have been here since 6am were almost kicked out, because after sitting in the front row the court realised they needed those seats for witnesses and didn't put enough 'reserved' signs down. Journalists stood their ground; we will move, but not out of the court. https://t.co/8srhrmajFy
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 12, 2019
We are drawing closer to the sentencing, which will begin at 10am. The doors to the courtroom are now open. There was a mad rush for seats, Melissa Davey tells me, and about 30 have been added to accomodate those who have come to witness the sentence.
Melissa says there is a mix of Pell supporters and abuse survivors and advocates in the room. About 15 people have refused to leave the courtroom to go to the overflow room and are standing.
Updated
If you need support today, please remember these numbers.
Blue Knot Foundation – 1300 657 380
Support for survivors of childhood trauma.
Bravehearts Inc – 1800 272 831
Counselling and support for survivors, child protection advocacy.
1800 Respect – 1800 737 732
24-hour telephone and online crisis support, information and immediate referral to specialist counselling for anyone in Australia who has experienced or been affected by sexual assault, or domestic or family violence.
Lifeline – 13 11 14
24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention.
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
Free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people.
Care Leavers Australasia Network – 1800 008 774
Support and advocacy for people brought up in care homes.
Child Migrants Trust – 1800 040 509
Social work services for former child migrants, including counselling and support for family reunions.
Child Wise – 1800 991 099
Trauma informed telephone and online counselling for childhood abuse. Training and organisational capacity-building on child abuse prevention.
• For a list of support services by state, visit the information page of the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.
Since 6am people have been gathering outside of Melbourne’s county court where Cardinal George Pell is due to be sentenced about 10am for one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under 16.
A few kilometres away, in East Melbourne, abuse survivors and victim advocates have also been gathering at the scene of the crime, St Patrick’s cathedral. It was there in 1996 that two 13-year-old choirboys were sexually abused by Pell.
Leonie Sheedy is the CEO of the Care Leavers Australasia Network, known as Clan, an organisation that supports children abused in out-of-home care.
She arrived outside of the court with a car full of “Clannies”, as they call themselves, placing placards around the entrance that read “To the pope and Pell in Rome, turnover the files, turn in the abusers, stop the cover-ups” and “Tax all churches and charities”.
“This is a day that will change history in Australia,” Sheedy says.
“I’m here to remember my brother, Anthony Sheedy, who was raped by a Christian brother and who was raped by a public servant in a children’s home.”
First cup of coffee in the darkness at CountyCourt #Melbourne
— CLAN (@CLAN_AU) March 12, 2019
We left #Geelong 5am
Media already set up for #GeorgePell’s sentencing today 10am
Thankyou Clannies Rhonda Roy & Saundra for getting up at the crack of dawn 💙💛
This is a momentous day in Australia’s #History #Pell pic.twitter.com/NTTThA6nij
Updated
Our Melbourne bureau chief Melissa Davey is at the county count this morning ahead of the sentencing.
As we prepare for the sentencing of Cardinal George Pell today, protesters have already gathered hours before the court opens. pic.twitter.com/dEqEDEcg38
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 12, 2019
Updated
Advocates and survivors held a vigil at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday night.
Ribbons are still being placed on the fence around St Patrick's Cathedral in #Melbourne & @evo_lens has arrived for some of their light demo & projections #Pell #Abuse #Survivors #CatholicChurch #CrimeScene #CrimeScenePell #LoudRibbons pic.twitter.com/u1frlxFPAo
— Approaching Critical (@approachingcrit) March 12, 2019
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our rolling coverage of Cardinal George Pell’s sentencing. I’m Luke Henriques-Gomes.
Last month, Pell, once the third most powerful man in the Vatican in Rome and Australia’s most senior Catholic, was found guilty of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old boys in Melbourne in the mid 1990s.
Justice Peter Kidd will hand down his sentence at 10am AEST. Stay with us as we cover the reaction to the news, including from victims’ advocates and the Catholic church.
Updated
Here are some elements to keep in mind ahead of the sentencing today.
Pell was convicted unanimously after a comprehensive five-week trial. This trial followed a mistrial, and a committal hearing. Jurors deliberated for almost four days; their decision was by no means rash. And throughout the five weeks, jurors were consistently directed not to make Pell a scapegoat for the church, and that it was not enough to believe the complainant or to think Pell was lying. They had to believe the abusing occurred beyond reasonable doubt.
It is not at all unusual in child sexual abuse cases to have a lack of corroborating witnesses. Abusers don’t usually offend in front of others. But contrary to reports there was convincing supporting evidence from the some 14 witnesses called, including from former choirboys and clergy.
We heard that the priests sacristy, contrary to the defence’s claims, was not always bustling or a “hive of activity”. We heard that sometimes choirboys became rowdy, moving out of the procession. We heard it was not immediately customary after Pell became archbishop of Melbourne for him to remain on the front steps of St Patrick’s cathedral while the choir processed out of the building after mass. We heard evidence that, contrary to Pell’s claims he had “nothing to do with” the choir or the boys, he would pop in to their robing room and interact with them after mass.
These are just a few points to make clear amid some of the reporting over the past two weeks, reports that largely came from people who did not spend any time in the court. There have been many legal experts speculating about the success of an appeal already. Those present in the court witnessed chief judge Peter Kidd run a meticulous, considered and procedurally rigorous trial. To be confident of Pell’s acquittal at any appeal seems brazen.
At the sentencing hearing on 27 February Pell’s defence barrister, Robert Richter, argued Pell’s sentence should be on the “lower end” because there were “no aggravating circumstances” to one of the offences. It was “no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case where the child is not actively participating,” he said. He later apologised for the comments.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Mark Gibson argued Pell should be given a significant sentence, describing the offences as “humiliating and degrading towards each boy”.
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