Officer Shredded Copies of Abuse Documents

Herald Sun
June 21, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/nsw-cops-shred-church-abuse-docs-report/story-fni0xqi4-1226667291372

Documents show the NSW police shredded notes from meetings with the Catholic church on child abuse.

POLICE have rejected claims a senior NSW officer destroyed original documents about sex abuse in the Catholic Church, saying she only shredded copies of the confidential papers.

Reports stated a senior officer assigned to the Professional Standards Resource Group (PSRG) - a key Catholic Church body set up to deal with pedophilia within the institution - shredded all records of her involvement.

Inspector Beth Cullen, who was then a senior sergeant with the Sex Crimes Unit, destroyed all documents pertaining to her role with the PSRG from 1998 to 2003, the ABC's Lateline program reported.

The documents came from a freedom of information request filed by NSW Greens spokesman David Shoebridge.

Former NSW director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery told the program he couldn't see any circumstances where police would need to shred documents from an internal church body.

On Friday, NSW police said the only material shredded was "copies of that original documentation, which had been circulated to members of (the PSRG) prior to each meeting".

"Original documentation concerning the meetings was confidential and maintained by the NSW Professional Standards Office of the Catholic Church," police said in a statement.

The NSW special commission of inquiry into the handling of allegations of child abuse in the Catholic Church, which began in May, will resume next week for a further four weeks of hearings.

Police say the inquiry will examine the appointment of officers to the church's PSRG and the manner in which that group operated.

"NSW Police Force will continue to provide full co-operation and assistance to this inquiry."

The inquiry is scheduled to sit for four weeks when it resumes.