Ex-Vatican treasurer Pell leaves Australian jail after sex offences acquittal
(Reuters) - Australia’s highest court on Tuesday acquitted former Vatican treasurer George Pell of sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s, allowing the 78-year-old cardinal to walk free from jail.
The High Court ordered Pell’s convictions be quashed and verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place, ending the most high profile case of alleged historical sex abuse to rock the Roman Catholic Church.
The seven judges of the High Court agreed unanimously that the jury in the cardinal’s trial “ought to have entertained a doubt” as to his guilt. Pell, who has maintained his innocence throughout the lengthy court process, cannot be retried on the charges.
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The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said it was “dismayed and heartbroken” by the outcome.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-abuse-pell/ex-vatican-treasurer-pell-leaves-australian-jail-after-sex-offences-acquittal-idUSKBN21P00L