George Pell's lawyer says child abuse was 'plain vanilla' sex as cardinal heads to jail

[Eugene]

Last edited Thu Feb 28, 2019, 02:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: The Guardian

George Pell's lawyer says child abuse was 'plain vanilla' sex as cardinal heads to jail

Robert Richter QC withdraws bail application meaning his client will remain behind bars following his conviction for child sexual assault

Melissa Davey in Melbourne
Wed 27 Feb 2019 03.11 GMT

Cardinal George Pell’s bail application has been withdrawn and he will be jailed on Wednesday following a sentencing hearing in which Pell’s lawyer, Robert Richter, described one of Pell’s offences as a “plain vanilla sexual penetration case where the child is not actively participating”.

The former prime minister John Howard was among those who provided character references for Pell as the cardinal’s legal team tried to argue for a lower-end sentence for his conviction for sexually assaulting two 13-year-old boys in Melbourne’s county court on Wednesday morning.

That claim was rejected by the chief judge, Peter Kidd, who said he saw Pell’s behaviour as “callous, brazen offending” and “shocking conduct”.

“He did have in his mind some sense of impunity. How else did he think he would get away with this? There was an element of force here ... this is not anywhere near the lower end of offending.”

Richter’s renowned defence style was on full display, as he tried to argue with Kidd that there were “no aggravating circumstances” to one of Pell’s offences.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/27/cardinal-pell-will-go-straight-to-jail-as-bail-application-is-withdrawn

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Update: Robert Richter apologises for describing George Pell's abuse as 'vanilla sex'

[LW1977]

1. Ewww

[Major Nikon]

2. ...

[MineralMan]

3. Such callous disregard for the victim!

This is a big part of what is so wrong with priestly child sexual abuse. The perpetrators and their supporters couch their heinous acts in minimizing language.

The judge was absolutely correct in rejecting that minimization.

[Eugene]

4. Robert Richter apologises for describing George Pell's abuse as 'vanilla sex'

Source: Australian Associated Press

Robert Richter apologises for describing George Pell's abuse as 'vanilla sex'

Australian Associated Press
Thu 28 Feb 2019 08.47 GMT

Robert Richter has apologised for his “terrible choice of phrase” in describing George Pell’s sexual abuse of a 13-year-old choirboy as “vanilla sexual penetration”.

The queen’s counsel has been widely criticised for the remark, which came during a plea hearing for the cardinal who is now behind bars awaiting sentence for orally raping the boy, and molesting him and another 13-year-old after a Sunday mass in 1996.

Richter was attempting to note there were no aggravating features to Pell’s offending, at a time when he was newly installed as archbishop of Melbourne at St Patrick’s cathedral.

-snip-

“In seeking to mitigate sentence I used a wholly inappropriate phrase for which I apologise profusely to all who interpreted it in a way it was never intended: it was in no way meant to belittle or minimise the suffering and hurt of victims of sex abuse, and in retrospect I can see why it caused great offence to many,” he wrote in a statement.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/28/robert-richter-apologises-for-describing-george-pells-abuse-as-vanilla-sex

[trotsky]

5. Wow, just wow! n/t