AUSTRALIA
Maitland Mercury
By ELLE WATSON July 24, 2013
The priest who extracted a confession from paedohpile Denis McAlinden agreed it was his “published view” not to take notes of criminal admissions because it could be used as evidence in legal procedures.
During a morning of cross-examination at the Special Commission of Inquiry, Father Brian Lucas, the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, gave a number of reasons why it would be counter-productive to create a “permanent record” of conversations with accused priests.
“If you’re sitting in front of him taking notes he isn’t going to say anything – that’s my experience,” said Father Lucas who went on to explain that evidence also could be inadmissible.
Senior counsel assisting the commission Julia Lonergan SC put it to Father Lucas the real reason he was adverse to taking notes is because he knew it could be used in legal procedures against the offending priests.
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