Pell's initial guilty verdict 'an international embarrassment'

The conduct of some parts of the Victoria legal system in regards to the George Pell case is an "international embarrassment" according to The Australian's Legal Affairs editor Chris Merritt.

On Tuesday, George Pell was freed from prison after the High Court quashed the 2018 verdict which found him guilty of historical child sex abuse offences

Cardinal Pell was convicted of raping a 13-year-old choirboy and molesting his friend after a Sunday Mass at Melbourne's St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996.

In 2019, Victoria's Court of Appeal upheld the conviction before the cardinal appealed the decision to the highest court in the land.

Mr Merrett said the Victorian legal system made "serious errors" during Cardinal Pell's case.

"This case casts a big shadow over Australian justice," he said.

"It's up to the prosecutor to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a crime took place, it's not up to the defence."

He said the unanimous decision has "removed all doubt about this affair."

"Had it been a split decision there would have been a continuing debate, but a unanimous judgement and a clear statement of the law is what Victoria's (legal system) needed."

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