Cardinal George Pell loses appeal and likely to be stripped of Order of Australia – live

Appeal of child sexual assault conviction dismissed by a majority of two to one, meaning the 78-year-old will remain in prison until October 2022. He was sentenced in March for sexually assaulting two choirboys in 1996 2.48am BST Cardinal George Pell’s spokeswoman has released a statement. He maintains his innocence. His lawyers are considering a special leave application to the high court.Cardinal Pell is obviously disappointed with the decision today. However his legal team will thoroughly examine the judgment in order to determine a special leave application to the high court. 2.31am BST Just on the victim, here is what Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and president of the court of appeal, Justice Chris Maxwell, said about his evidence in the summary of their majority judgment:Throughout his evidence, [the complainant] came across as someone who was telling the truth. He did not seek to embellish his evidence or tailor it in a manner favourable to the prosecution. As might have been expected, there were some things which he could remember and many things which he could not. And his explanations of why that was so had the ring of truth. Continue reading…
Via: Cardinal George Pell loses appeal and likely to be stripped of Order of Australia – live