Pell acquitted

News.com.au reports:

Cardinal George Pell has released been from prison after the High Court ordered his child sexual abuse convictions to be quashed “and judgments of acquittal be entered in their place”.

The most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of child sexual abuse this morning learnt his final appeal bid to the High Court had been a success, releasing a statement saying he felt as though the “serious injustice” he suffered while maintaining his innocence had been “remedied”.

The full bench of seven judges were unanimous in their decision, finding that the jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a reasonable doubt as to Pell’s guilt.

The fact the decision was unanimous is telling. This doesn’t mean the complainants were lying, it means there was reasonable doubt, and the criminal justice system operates on reasonable doubt. The court has concluded that a rational jury should have found reasonable doubt.

The court notes:

The Court held that, on the assumption that the jury had assessed the complainant’s evidence as thoroughly credible and reliable, the evidence of the opportunity witnesses nonetheless required the jury, acting rationally, to have entertained a reasonable doubt as to the applicant’s guilt in relation to the offences involved in both alleged incidents.

So basically the testimony of the witnesses raised reasonable doubt.

It is also telling that they did not order a retrial.