Father testifies in Australian court cardinal abused son
Civil Litigation News
A father testified in an Australian court Thursday that his son said he was sexually abused by Vatican Cardinal George Pell during a waterskiing outing years ago. When a defense lawyer accused him of lying, the father told the court it was an insult.
The testimony in the Melbourne Magistrate Court came at a hearing to determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to put Pell on trial.
Pope Francis' former finance minister was charged in June with sexually abusing multiple people in his Australian home state of Victoria. The details of the allegations have yet to be released to the public, though police have described the charges as "historical," meaning they allegedly occurred decades ago.
Pell, 76, has said he will plead not guilty if the magistrate rules a jury trial is warranted.
The father of one of the alleged victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, testified via a video link that he first learned of the alleged abuse in 2015 and that his son struggled to talk about it.
Defense lawyer Robert Richter said the father did not name Pell in a statement he made to police then. "Do you have any explanation as to how it is there is no mention of Pell there, as having done anything wrong at the lake?" Richter asked.
The lawyer said the father had only recently named Pell as the alleged offender. "That's an invention of yours since July 2015 when you made your statement," Richter told the father.
Related listings
-
Supreme Court strikes down 2 NC congressional districts
Civil Litigation News 07/26/2017The Supreme Court struck down two congressional districts in North Carolina Monday because race played too large a role in their creation.The justices ruled that Republicans who controlled the state legislature and governor's office in 2011 placed to...
-
Court revives black TV network's discrimination lawsuit
Civil Litigation News 07/23/2017A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit claiming that a North Carolina city discriminated against an African-American-owned television network.A divided three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reversed a lower court...
-
High court ruling may give voter rights groups a strong tool
Civil Litigation News 07/13/2017The Supreme Court's ruling that two North Carolina congressional districts relied too heavily on race should give voting-rights advocates a potent tool to fight other electoral maps drawn to give Republicans an advantage in the state.The justices agr...