Comment: Court cases are run not on what happened but what can be proven. It is all about admissible evidence, so was George Pell convicted without fear and favour?
In the case of the high-profile Pell, there must have been pressure to deal with him differently. With the police's history of covering up for the church here was a chance to present a case, weak or strong, in the open before a jury.
If Pell did molest those two teenagers in the busy cathedral, it certainly does not fit the usual pattern of paedophile priests. In the Pell case, although he had access to hundreds of boys over his career he did not groom the vulnerable. Instead he attacked two he did not know in broad daylight in a near public area.
Much has been made of the fact that Pell did not take the witness box to defend himself. His lawyer, Robert Richter, QC, who is about the best in the business, has only ever let two of his clients take the box. One was the colourful Mick Gatto, charged and acquitted of the murder of hitman Andrew ‘‘Benji’’ Veniamin. I asked Richter why he allowed Gatto to testify and he replied, ‘‘Because he insisted.’’ Wise move.
Our courts are not supposed to be swayed by outside influences, which is why judges are appointed and not elected and juries are promised anonymity. They are duty-bound to provide just outcomes, no matter how unpopular.
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