Journalist Joanne McCarthy provided vital assistance to investigators

Newcastle Herald
June 2, 2014

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2324724/journalist-joanne-mccarthy-provided-vital-assistance-to-investigators/?cs=305

Joanne McCarthy was found to have played an integral role.

A POLICE strike force set up to investigate the alleged cover-up of child sexual abuse within the Catholic diocese would not have happened without the work of journalist Joanne McCarthy, the Special Commission of Inquiry found.

In its report released on Friday, the commission found that while McCarthy’s work was responsible for Strike Force Lantle’s formation, she had also provided vital information to police that ultimately led to the inquiry, as well as the royal commission into how various institutions handled sexual abuse allegations.

The commission found that while Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox had wrongly shared information with the Newcastle Herald journalist, she was not acting in partnership with Mr Fox, nor was anything she did improper.

‘‘The commission finds no evidence that McCarthy was involved, in league with Fox, in concealing evidence from police and hindering the Strike Force Lantle investigation,’’ commissioner Margaret Cunneen ruled.

‘‘On the contrary, the evidence suggests that McCarthy was generally determined to provide to police as much information as possible so as to assist with the investigation of the church concealment allegations.’’

Mr Fox’s conduct in providing some information to McCarthy was ‘‘objectionable and inappropriate’’, the commission found, but ‘‘the commission does not regard [McCarthy’s] conduct as having been in any way improper’’.

‘‘Although Joanne McCarthy is not a church official, it should be noted that she provided important assistance to police in respect of the investigation that became Strike Force Lantle. McCarthy continued to provide to police information about McAlinden that became available to her, including material relating to victim AK.’’