George Pell’s accuser reveals he kept silent for more than 20 years after he was sexually abused by the paedophile priest as 13-year-old choirboy because he feared coming forward would ruin his life
- George Pell failed to overturn his conviction in Court of Appeal on Wednesday
- Pell was last year found guilty of historic sex offences against two choirboys
- One of the choirboys reported the abuse to police decades later, in 2015
The star witness in George Pell’s trial kept his silence for two decades because he was worried about the ramifications of speaking out, and because he wanted to his live his life how it was before the abuse.
Pell was last December convicted of molesting two choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996, when he was the newly-installed Archbishop of Melbourne.
The 78-year-old, who is the most senior Catholic representative to be found guilty of child sex abuse, failed to overturn his conviction in the Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
There is little known about Pell’s victims, who were aged 13 at the time of the cardinal’s offending.
George Pell, the most senior Catholic representative to be found guilty of child sex abuse, failed to overturn his conviction in the Court of Appeal on Wednesday
There is little known about Pell’s victims, who were aged 13 at the time of the cardinal’s offending. The case against Pell relied heavily on the testimony and evidence of one ‘choirboy’, also known as the complainant and ‘A’
The case against Pell relied heavily on the testimony and evidence of one ‘choirboy’, also known as ‘Witness J’ or simply ‘A’.
The other victim died in 2014 without lodging a complaint against Pell. A reported the historic abuse to police in June 2015.
The 324-page judgment from Pell’s failed appeal contains information from the initial trial, news.com.au reported.
In the court documents, A spoke about the difficulty of coming forward to police with the allegations as he was simply trying to live his life as he had ‘before’ the assault.
In terms of remaining tight-lipped for almost two decades, A explained he couldn’t fully fathom what had happened to him to then be able to share it.
He was also fearful about his accusations ruining his schooling at St Kevin’s College, where he was on a choral scholarship.
Protesters are seen with placards as Pell faced the Court of Appeal on Wednesday
A explained he dealt with the abuse by pushing it to the darkest corners of his brain.
He said it took a lot of courage to give a statement against Pell to police and he felt greater responsibility to speak up after the death of his friend.
‘I knew that he had been in a dark place. I had been in a dark place,’ he said, according to documents.
‘I gave a statement to the police because I was thinking of him and his family. I felt that I should say what I saw and what had happened to me. I had experienced something terrible as a child, and I wanted some good to come of it.’
The other choirboy died of a drug overdose, aged 31.
His father was ecstatic Pell’s appeal was denied this week, telling reporters it was a ‘great load’ lifted off his shoulders.
Pell was last December convicted of molesting two choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996, when he was the newly-installed Archbishop of Melbourne
Pell is escorted in handcuffs from the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne on August 21
‘I’m sad that my son’s not here to see it. I’m really happy for the other victim,’ the father said.
In the book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, journalist Louise Milligan speaks about A, referred to as ‘The Kid’, as an ideal witness amid a police investigation.
She said the victim is university educated, hadn’t been in trouble with the law and is a ‘pillar of his community’.
‘He’s managed, just, to keep it together. He’s been able to compartmentalise. He’s the sort of complainant you’d want as a Victoria Police detective alleging historic crime,’ Milligan wrote in the book.
Pell leaves the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, with his van surrounded by a large police presence