No Aggro over Church Abuse Papers Request

By Paul Maguire
Perth Now
May 17, 2013

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/police-child-sex-probe-had-to-be-limited/story-fnhrvfuw-1226645541167

THE senior policeman who told NSW detective Peter Fox to hand over all his documents relating to allegations of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests says the request was "cordial".

Assistant police commissioner Max Mitchell was the acting Hunter region commander in 2010 when he told Detective Chief Inspector Fox that allegations in his documents would be investigated by a new police strike force based in Newcastle.

Mr Mitchell told a special NSW government commission of inquiry on Friday that his meeting with Det Insp Fox on December 2 that year was "very cordial", with "no heated exchanges or annoyance and no outbursts by anyone".

Mr Mitchell said that when Det Insp Fox arrived at the meeting and said he had mistakenly left the documents on his desk in the Port Stephens police station he simply asked him again to give them to officers involved in the new strike force.

Under cross-examination by Det Insp Fox's barrister, Mark Cohen, Mr Mitchell denied he had a heated verbal exchange with Det Insp Fox or gave him a formal direction implying disciplinary action if he did not comply.

Mr Mitchell said he made it clear in the meeting that Det Insp Fox, and all other police under his command, were not to speak to the media about child sex abuse matters without his approval.

A member of the task force, who suspected Det Insp Fox continued to speak to the media, lodged an internal police complaint on the grounds that Det Insp Fox had disregarded the commander's direction.

The complaint was unsuccessful.

The special commission of inquiry was sparked by Det Insp Fox's assertions that church officials covered up sex crimes, that they were aided by a "Catholic mafia" within the police and that the strike force established to investigate paedophilia by priests was set up to fail.

Mr Mitchell told the commission he was offended by the term "Catholic mafia".

He wanted it on the record that he was not a Catholic, there was no "Catholic mafia" in the NSW police force and he had never come across any police who had not worked extensively and professionally to investigate all types of child sexual abuse.

The commission, which began before Commissioner Margaret Cunneen in Newcastle 10 days ago, concluded its first session on Friday without hearing from seven of 20 witnesses who were initially scheduled to give evidence.

The second session, to hear how church officials handled sex abuse allegations and planned to run from June 24 to July 12, will now be extended for an additional week.

A key witness, now scheduled to give evidence in the second session, is Newcastle Herald journalist Joanne McCarthy, who won a national award for reporting child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the Hunter Valley.

Ms Cunneen is due to report the findings of her commission to the government by September 30.