Australian Legal Scholar: Pell Trial Was Vendetta by Police, Prosecutors

Angelus News ^ | 8/25/21 | CNA

[marshmallow]

Victoria's policing and criminal justice systems erred so seriously in relation to Cardinal George Pell that it shows that not even victims of abuse or bona fide complainants, let alone an accused person like the cardinal, could rely on them, said Jesuit Father Frank Brennan, Australian legal expert.

The law professor and rector of Newman College at the University of Melbourne attended key parts of Cardinal Pell's trials and appeals and had access to court transcripts.

He became convinced that the cardinal was innocent of the historical sexual abuse charges brought against him and that he should never have had to face them.

In an exclusive interview with The Catholic Weekly, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Father Brennan was scathing in his assessment of the police work conducted under the former Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton and subsequent failures that saw Cardinal Pell imprisoned for 13 months until his release through a unanimous decision of the High Court of Australia in April 2020.

Father Brennan's latest book, "Observations on the Pell Proceedings," was published in April. His exclusive 8-page analysis by of the entire case will appear in the Sept. 5 September edition of The Catholic Weekly.

Father Brennan said he "cannot forgive" the actions of the Victorian Police and the Victoria director of public prosecutions in the cardinal's matter and believes they were the result of a political vendetta against the prelate.

These caused both the cardinal and his accuser months of unnecessary agony and had consequences for genuine complainants and victims of abuse, he said.

[Marchmain]

Everyone knew Pell was innocent. Thank God a miracle of justice occurred.