Australian High Court quashes Cardinal Pell's conviction on sex offences

Australia's highest court on Tuesday overturned former Vatican treasurer George Pell's conviction for sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s, allowing the 78-year-old cardinal to walk free from jail. In a unanimous ruling, the High Court found that the jury in Pell's trial "ought to have entertained a doubt" as to Cardinal Pell's guilt. The court's seven judges ordered that the convictions be quashed and verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place, meaning Pell cannot be retried on the charges.

The cardinal began serving a six-year sentence a year ago for the alleged assaults, which the plaintiff said took place place when Pell was archbishop of the city of Melbourne. Pell, who had denied the charges but did not take the stand at trial, was the highest ranked Catholic official worldwide to have been jailed for child sex offences.

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