George Pell's criminal barrister denies report he has quit the cardinal's legal team in anger over the 'perverse' guilty verdict in sex abuse case

  • Defence lawyer for Cardinal George Pell denies claims he stood down from case
  • Criminal barrister Robert Richter QC says he remains involved on the legal team
  • Believes Pell is innocent, who is awaiting trial on five child sex abuse charges

By Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:36 EST, 5 March 2019 | Updated: 04:21 EST, 5 March 2019

The defence lawyer for disgraced Cardinal George Pell has denied claims that he has stood down from the case.

Criminal barrister Robert Richter QC has denied media reports he exited his client's legal team because he'd too emotionally involved after expressing anger at the 'preverse' guilty verdict.

'It is false to say I quit the legal team, I don't quit,' Mr Richter told the Herald Sun.  

Cardinal Pell, 77, is currently in custody awaiting sentencing after he was convicted of five counts of sexually assaulting two choir boys in St Patrick's Cathedral in the 1990s.

Robert Richter (pictured) has stood down from defending Cardinal George Pell

Robert Richter (pictured) has stood down from defending Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal Pell's solicitor Paul Galbally added Mr Richter was still a vital adviser to the defence.

'You can be reassured Robert hasn't quit the team,' he told The Australian.

'He's a key part of the team and Robert never quit the team.'

Mr Richter had earlier told Fairfax Media he doesn't have the 'sufficient objectivity at this stage' to represent Cardinal Pell, who has denied the charges and has launched an appeal against the conviction. 

'I think the man is an innocent man and he's been convicted. It's not a common experience,' Mr Richter said.

Cardinal Pell was found guilty in December but the verdict was only made public last week when the court lifted a suppression order.

Mr Richter has developed a close bond with Cardinal Pell since he began representing him when he was charged in 2017.

His shock resignation comes a week after the veteran barrister sparked outrage in court when he tried to argue his client's offences was 'no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case'.

He later apologised for his choice of words.

 Cardinal George Pell (pictured)  has been found guilty of five counts of sexually assaulting two choir boys in the 1990s

 Cardinal George Pell (pictured)  has been found guilty of five counts of sexually assaulting two choir boys in the 1990s

'In seeking to mitigate sentence, I used a wholly inappropriate phrase for which I apologize profusely to all who interpreted it in a way it was never intended,' Mr Richter said.

'It was in no way meant to belittle or minimize the suffering and hurt of victims of sex abuse, and in retrospect I can see why it caused great offense to many.I hope my apology is accepted as sincerely as it is meant and I will never repeat such carelessness in my choice of words which might offend.'

It was recently announced Sydney barrister Bret Walker SC would lead the case through the appeal process,where Mr Richter initially flagged he would remain on the defence team.

Robert Richter (pictured) says he doesn't have the 'sufficient objectivity at this stage' to represent Cardinal Pell

Robert Richter (pictured) says he doesn't have the 'sufficient objectivity at this stage' to represent Cardinal Pell

The appeal against Pell's conviction will be made on three points, according to documents lodged with the Court of Appeal.

'The verdicts are unreasonable and cannot be supported, having regard to the evidence, because on the whole of the evidence, including unchallenged exculpatory evidence from more than 20 crown witnesses, it was not open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt on the word of the complainant alone,' the appeal filed by Mr Richter reads.

Pell is due to be sentenced next week.

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George Pell's solicitor denies his criminal barrister has quit the Catholic cardinal’s legal team

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