Cardinal George Pell May Never Face Trial in Australia
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.”