The lawyer representing convicted paedophile Cardinal George Pell has apologised for referring to his crimes as “vanilla sexual penetration,” saying his remarks were not meant “to belittle or minimise the suffering and hurt of victims of sex abuse”.
During a Wednesday plea hearing, Robert Richter QC seemed to argue the crimes were not extraordinary in the grim world of child abuse, telling Victorian County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd the matter was “no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case where the child is not volunteering or actively participating.”
That characterisation was swiftly rejected by Kidd, who pointed to Pell’s power within the Catholic Church, the duty of care he had over the two choirboys he abused, and the fact he abused the complainant some time after the initial offence as indicators of the severity of his crimes.
Richter’s remarks were also condemned outside of the courtroom. Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton said law enforcement officers “certainly don’t treat them as plain vanilla offences,” while advocates for survivors of child abuse voiced also voiced their strongest concerns.
“After spending a sleepless night reflecting upon the terrible choice of a phrase I used in court during the course of a long and stressful process, I offer my sincerest apologies to all who were hurt or offended by it,” Richter said yesterday.
“No offence was intended.”
The high-profile Melbourne lawyer said he recognises the brutality of the crimes and the fact they merit imprisonment, but explained his statement was made in an attempt to minimise the sentence imposed on his client.
“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, “ Richter said.
Pell will face sentencing on March 13. Each of his charges comes with a maximum sentence of ten years.
Pell has maintained his innocence, and Richter lodged an appeal on three grounds during the Wednesday hearing.
One more thing: don’t hold your breath for apologies from some of Pell’s high-profile defenders outside of the court room.
If you would like to talk to a counsellor about rape, sexual assault or domestic violence, give the people over at 1800 RESPECT a call on 1800 737 732.
