25 April 2020
Victorian police have received advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding historic allegations of child sexual assault against former-Sydney Archbishop George Pell, though no formal charges have been announced yet.
The allegations, involving complaints from two men in Pell's hometown of Ballarat, claim he inappropriately touched them in a pool during 1978-1979. Pell has vehemently denied these claims, and his supporters, including Sydney Archbishop Timothy Fisher, argue he is a victim of relentless character attacks.
Legal expert Andrew Halphen expressed concern over potential unfairness in the process, stating, “I can think of no other matter in recent memory where a DPP’s advice to the police in respect of whether or not to charge a person finds its way to the front page of a major news publication before a person is actually charged.”
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