Cardinal George Pell to learn if he will stand trial over historical sexual offence charges
Updated
A Melbourne magistrate will this morning announce whether there is enough evidence to commit Cardinal George Pell to stand trial on historical sexual offences involving multiple complainants.
Australia's most senior Catholic cleric will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for the decision, which is expected to be handed down from 10:00am in a hearing lasting about an hour and a half, which is unusual for a ruling of this type.
If Cardinal Pell, 76, is committed to stand trial on the charges he will be required to enter a plea. His defence barrister, Robert Richter QC, told an earlier hearing that Cardinal Pell would plead not guilty.
But if magistrate Belinda Wallington rules there is not enough evidence for the case to go to trial, the charges will be dismissed.
Cardinal Pell could also be committed to stand trial on some of the charges while others are thrown out.
Ms Wallington told an earlier hearing she believed an accused person should be committed to stand trial unless there was a "fundamental defect" in the evidence.
"I think issues of credibility and reliability are matters for a jury, except where you get to a point where [a complainant's] credibility is effectively annihilated," she said.
If Cardinal Pell is committed to stand trial, he'll face a directions hearing in the County Court at a later time and a date will be set for trial.
Today's ruling follows a month-long committal hearing in March.
Cardinal Pell had to be escorted in and out of the court building under police guard.
The first 10 days of the hearing was closed to the public and media as the complainants gave their evidence, which is standard practice in cases involving sexual offence charges.
Their evidence remains confidential.
But over the following weeks, details of the allegations against Cardinal Pell emerged.
Among the allegations, he is accused of sexual offending at Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral in the late 1990s when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.
Cardinal Pell is also accused of committing sexual offences at a Ballarat pool and a cinema in the regional city during the 1970s, when he was a priest in the area.
A number of choir members, pool attendees and the cinema's projectionist were called to give evidence.
None had seen anything untoward.
A number of the charges were also dropped due to the death of one of the complainants and another being found medically unfit to give evidence.
Ms Wallington has taken a fortnight to consider her decision on whether to commit Cardinal Pell to stand trial.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, catholic, religion-and-beliefs, community-and-society, melbourne-3000, vic
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