AUSTRALIA
The Australian
DAN BOX From: The Australian July 04, 2013
A NSW POLICE detective failed to pursue a line of inquiry about a pedophile priest that, a decade later, allowed other officers to uncover evidence suggesting the Catholic church knew about these crimes, an inquiry has heard.
In 2002, the NSW special commission of inquiry has heard, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox asked a retired bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Leo Clarke, if he had any knowledge of two alleged victims of the priest.
The late bishop Clarke replied “No, you would have to ask (the then bishop) Michael Malone about that.”
Detective Fox did not, however, subsequently ask Bishop Malone about the priest, Denis McAlinden, the inquiry heard. Nor did he do so during a formal police interview with the bishop the following year, in which they discussed a different pedophile priest.
During cross-examination of the policeman, Bishop Malone’s barrister, Simon Harben SC, asked “Here was a perfect opportunity for an investigator of your experience to pursue a line of inquiry, wasn’t it?”
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