Plans to search Sydney Archbishop George Pell’s office were stalled because sex abuse strike force detectives could not get a crucial victim’s statement, a Commission of Inquiry heard yesterday.
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Former Newcastle crime manager Detective Chief Inspector Brad Tayler said Strike Force Lantle – the investigation into the alleged Catholic Church sexual abuse cover-up – became “virtually stagnant” when a witness refused to give a statement to police.
The inquiry heard the woman made a formal complaint about one of Mr Tayler’s investigators who she said made her feel under pressure to give a statement.
“The whole problem with this was we wanted to investigate it but we couldn’t get it off the ground because we couldn’t get a statement off this witness,” Mr Tayler said.
“It was like it was dead in the water because we could not progress with this issue.”
Because of her relationship with the victim and numerous others, Newcastle Herald journalist, Joanne McCarthy, was invited to a meeting with Mr Tayler in 2010 to provide
further information.
Mr Tayler said Andrew Morrison SC, from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, joined Ms McCarthy at the meeting and told police about documents that were in Archbishop Pell’s office.
“I’m not sure what my guys were supposed to put in a search warrant application – we didn’t have a complaint,” Mr Tayler said.
He said plans were also in place to access documents from the Maitland-Newcastle diocese.
“We were doing everything we could,” he said.
Under cross-examination from Peter’s Fox barrister, Mark Cohen, Mr Tayler denied he tried to intimidate the witness when he telephoned her to investigate the complaint.
“[We had a] complainant asking for allegations of cover up to proceed but would not give her statement to the officer.”
He denied he was embarrassed by the failure to collect the statement.
Commissioner Margaret Cunneen SC heard Mr Tayler initially wanted Detective Inspector Peter Fox’s report to be investigated by the state Sex Crimes Squad because it involved senior clergy including Adelaide archbishop Philip Wilson.
“I thought it was best handled by that unit,” Mr Tayler, who denied he wanted the matter off his plate.
When asked about Inspector Fox’s comments that the strike force was set up to fail Mr Tayler said he was “disgusted”.
“It’s absolutely disgusting, it’s doing nothing more then destroying the public perception of police,” Mr Tayler said.
He said he would have objected to Inspector Fox participating in the strike force because of suspicions he was leaking information to the media.
“I wouldn’t have had him on my investigation – information leaked to the media was not helpful at all.”
The Commission of Inquiry continues today.
