Disgraced cardinal George Pell will likely spend tonight in jail after his lawyers withdrew his bail application today.
The 77-year-old, who was third in command of the Catholic Church and once considered a Pope in waiting, became the highest ranked priest ever convicted of sex abuse in December when he was found guilty of molesting two choirboys.
Pell is appealing his conviction was due to face a Court of Appeal bail hearing at 2.30pm on Wednesday - but the court confirmed this will not go ahead.
Earlier today his pre-sentencing hearing heard the cardinal should be jailed immediately for his 'humiliating and degrading' attack on 'vulnerable children.'
Pell's assaults in the 1990s were 'utterly brazen,' said Crown Prosecutor Mark Gibson.
'In his mind, he thought he could get away with it... he possessed a notion of impunity.'
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Paedophile priest: George Pell hobbled into court today after he was found guilty of molesting two choirboys
Pervert: Surrounded by police officers and camera crews, he staggered into the courthouse using a stick after a double knee replacement
Australia's highest-ranking Catholic, the Vatican treasurer was granted extra time on bail over the festive season to have double knee replacement surgery in Sydney
'There's a degree of callousness... there has been a breach of trust.
'He was in a position of power, power of authority which has been breached.'
Mr Gibson described Pell as a remorseless sex offender who was owed no discount on his ultimate sentence.
'The prisoner has shown no remorse or insight into his offending. He has not taken responsibility for his actions. There remains no explanation,' he said.
Mr Gibson accepted the assaults were likely 'spontaneous and unplanned' and that the 22-year gap before he was charged ought to mitigate his sentence.
'It's an isolated event of which there is no explanation,' Mr Gibson said.
Protesters: There were chants of 'maggot', 'monster', 'you are filth', 'you are the devil', 'go to hell'
Pell was found guilty by a jury in December of raping a 13-year-old choirboy in 1996 and molesting another at St Patrick's Cathedral in east Melbourne
Pell, who has been on bail since he was charged in June 2017, may be taken into custody after the pre-sentencing hearing today
Defending, Robert Richter said that several people including former Prime Minister John Howard had submitted character references which detail Pell's 'kindness and generosity', and his 'life devoted to service'.
Mr Richter did not object to a compulsory forensic sample being taken from his client, who will also be registered as a serious sex offender.
This morning Pell hobbled into court to a barrage of abuse from protesters.
Surrounded by police officers and camera crews, he very slowly staggered into the courthouse using a stick after a double knee replacement.
There were chants of 'maggot', 'monster', 'you are filth', 'you are the devil', 'go to hell.'
Pell, who has been on bail since he was charged in June 2017, may be taken into custody after the pre-sentencing hearing today.
The Pope said last night he will not take any permanent disciplinary action against Pell until the appeal is over.
He said Pell remains banned from exercising public ministry and from having any voluntary contact whatsoever with minors.
Dozens of protesters waited for Pell as he appeared at court for a pre-sentencing hearing
Pell walked very slowly into the courthouse, struggling after a double knee replacement
Pell was found guilty by a jury in December of raping a 13-year-old choirboy in 1996 and molesting another at St Patrick's Cathedral in east Melbourne.
He had been newly appointed Archbishop of Melbourne when he committed the crimes.
Pell's victims were two 13-year-old boys on scholarships to the prestigious St Kevin's College.
The pair 'nicked off' after a Sunday solemn mass in late 1996 and were caught swigging sacramental wine in the priest's sacristy by Pell, newly installed as Archbishop of Melbourne.
Pell scolded the boys then exposed his penis from beneath his ornate ceremonial robes, and molested the pair. He forced one to perform oral sex on him, the court was told.
The jurors returned a unanimous verdict after of a retrial following a hung jury in September.
Pell (pictured in 2003) sexually assaulted two choir boys in a cathedral in Melbourne in the late 1990s. He had vehemently denied the incidents happened, but a jury found otherwise
Pope Francis (right, with Pell) banned him from saying Mass in public and from going near children until his appeal against the conviction is over
The Vatican's spokesman confirmed in a tweet last night that Pell was no longer working with the Pope
The media was unable to report the conviction until a second trial was abandoned on Tuesday morning.
Australia's highest-ranking Catholic, the Vatican treasurer was granted extra time on bail over the festive season to have double knee replacement surgery in Sydney.
He had become increasingly frail and had difficulty walking unassisted throughout his trial.
On Wednesday, Pell faces Chief Judge Peter Kidd for a plea hearing, where pre-sentencing submissions will be presented by both crown and defence legal teams.
Lawyers for Pell, who maintains his innocence, have lodged an application for leave to appeal the convictions.
On Tuesday, Pell's lawyer Robert Richter QC accepted a prison sentence was inevitable but said he intended to appeal on three grounds, including that the jury verdict was unreasonable as it was contrary to the evidence.
The historical offences each carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
FROM ALLEGATIONS TO CONVICTION: A TIMELINE OF THE CARDINAL GEORGE PELL CASE
1996
- Pell appointed Archbishop of Melbourne by Pope John Paul II
- Pell sexually abuses two 13-year-old choirboys after a Sunday solemn mass at St Patrick's Cathedral
- A second indecent act is committed by Pell against one of the choirboys in a corridor at the Cathedral.
2016
- The Herald Sun reports Pell is being investigated by Victoria Police's Sano taskforce for 'multiple offences' committed while he was a priest in Ballarat and Archbishop of Melbourne
- Pell says the allegations are 'without foundation and utterly false' and calls for an inquiry into how the police investigation became public
- Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton asks the anti-corruption watchdog to investigate the leak, but denies it came from police
Cardinal George Pell, 77, is known as the Vatican's treasurer and had been granted a leave of absence while facing trial over child sex offences in Australia. He has surrendered his passport
- Pell gives evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse's inquiry into abuse in Ballarat
- Under Vatican rules, Pell gives Pope Francis his resignation on his 75th birthday, as is customary. It is not accepted
- Victoria Police investigators hand over to the state's Office of Public Prosecutions a brief of evidence on allegations of sexual abuse by Pell
- Officers travel to Rome to interview Pell over the abuse claims. He voluntarily participates in the interview.
2017
- Police present their final brief of evidence to the Office of Public Prosecutions to consider charges
- Prosecutors give police the green light to charge Pell.
JUNE 2017
- Pell is charged with multiple counts of historic child sex offences
- He denies the charges and vows to clear his name
- Lawyers for Pell appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court
- Pell takes leave from his Vatican finance chief role to fight the charges.
JULY 2017
- Pell returns to Australia
- He hires top barrister Robert Richter QC
- Supporters set up a fund to help Pell fight the charges.
MARCH 2018
- Prosecutors drop one of the charges against Pell
- A month-long committal hearing begins to determine if Pell will face trial
- Prosecutors withdraw more charges
- Mr Richter claims police conducted a 'get Pell operation' and accuses magistrate Belinda Wallington of bias. She refuses to disqualify herself from the case.
MAY 2018
- Magistrate Belinda Wallington orders Pell stand trial on some charges, but throws out others
- Pell formally pleads 'not guilty'
- Two trials are ordered, separating the 1970s and 1990s allegations
- A Victorian County Court employee is sacked for looking up information on the Pell case.
AUGUST 2018
- The 1990s 'cathedral trial' begins in the Victorian County Court in Melbourne
- Pell pleads not guilty again to one charge of sexual penetration of a child under 16 and four of indecent acts with a child, over incidents involving two 13-year-old choirboys at St Patrick's Cathedral in 1996.
SEPTEMBER 2018
- The jury is discharged, unable to reach a verdict following a week of deliberation. Some jurors weep.
NOVEMBER 2018
- A retrial begins. The jury aren't told of the previous hung jury.
DECEMBER 2018
- Pell is found guilty on all charges by an unanimous jury
- Mr Richter says Pell will appeal
- Suppression orders prevent Australian media reporting the verdict but it spreads through international media within hours.
FEBRUARY 2019
- Hearings begin ahead of the second trial. Prosecutors drop another charge
- An appeal is filed against the cathedral trial conviction
- A County Court judge deems vital evidence inadmissible
- Prosecutors withdraw all remaining charges against Pell and drop a second trial over allegations Pell indecently assaulted boys in Ballarat in the 1970s when he was a parish priest
- Pell is due to be taken into custody on Wednesday February 27 as the plea hearing begins.
MARCH 2019
- Pell is due to be sentenced by County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd.
Australian Associated Press
REACTION TO CARDINAL GEORGE PELL'S GUILTY VERDICT
THE VICTIMS
- 'At some point, we realise that we trusted someone we should have feared and we fear those genuine relationships that we should trust.' - surviving victim
- 'This conviction is a reminder to survivors of abuse to feel empowered to tell their stories. Justice has prevailed and the nation is finally listening and addressing your pain.' - lawyer Lisa Flynn, who represented child sexual assault victims
- 'I'm utterly devastated about it ... There was no one for them at the bar table today.' - lawyer Ingrid Irwin after a second trial which involved Pell and two of her clients was dropped
PELL'S LAWYER
- 'Cardinal George Pell has always maintained his innocence and continues to do so.' - lawyer representing Pell, Paul Galbally
The two boys were molested in 1996 after a mass Pell conducted at St Patrick's Cathedral (pictured) in Melbourne
THE CHURCH
- 'While acknowledging the judgment of the jury, I join many people who have been surprised and shaken by the outcome of the second trial.' - Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli
- 'We pray for all those who have been abused and their loved ones and we commit ourselves anew to doing everything possible to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.' - Archbishop Mark Coleridge, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
- 'The institution has been brought to its knees. It has lost its credibility, frankly. It is still struggling to come to terms with that.' - Francis Sullivan, former boss of the council that co-ordinated the church's royal commission response
COMMUNITY
- 'Catholics today in Victoria, in Australia, vote with your feet. Have some backbone, walk out of the church house. They won't change.' - child sexual abuse survivor advocate, Michael
- 'To date, within the Catholic Church, it has been anything but fair, just, humane or moral.' - Cathy Kezelman, president of the Blue Knot Foundation for adult survivors of child trauma
- 'This is is a momentous event, as part of the continuing drama of the Catholic catastrophe.' - former Catholic priest turned child abuse victims advocate Professor Des Cahill
- 'Thank you to some of the bravest men in Australia and their families for trusting me.' - investigative journalist Louise Milligan
- 'You're going to burn in hell. Burn in hell, Pell.' - a bystander as Pell left court
- 'Cardinal Pell's behaviours have not met the standards we expect of those we honour as role models for the young men we educate.' - St Patrick's College headmaster John Crowley, having removed Pell's name from a building which had been named in his honour
Pell has always maintained his innocence and has lodged an appeal against his convictions
POLITICIANS
- 'Like most Australians, I am deeply shocked at the crimes of which George Pell has been convicted. I respect the fact that this case is under appeal, but it is the victims and their families I am thinking of today, and all who have suffered from sexual abuse by those they should have been able to trust, but couldn't.' - Prime Minister Scott Morrison
- 'My thoughts are with the victims - their pain is a tragedy, their bravery an inspiration. They've been betrayed and so have good people of faith across Victoria.' - Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews
- '(I'm) absolutely shocked and disgusted by the details I've read today and I think everybody would feel the same. There are no words to describe how horrible those incidents were.' - NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
- 'Finally, the good news is that now George Pell's decades of predatory behaviour is out there for all to see.' - Senator Derryn Hinch
- 'It is truly wonderful to live in a country where no one is above the law, where any person can seek access to justice and to see that justice done.' - Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/02/27/paedophile-priest-george-pell-arrives-for-pre-sentencing-hearing/
Main photo article Disgraced cardinal George Pell will likely spend tonight in jail after his lawyers withdrew his bail application today.
The 77-year-old, who was third in command of the Catholic Church and once considered a Pope in waiting, became the highest ranked priest ever convicted of sex abuse in D...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/26/23/10331344-6749277-image-a-16_1551222113470.jpg
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