The real reason jailed Australian Cardinal George Pell, convicted over child sex offences, was moved to another prison, has emerged.
YaahooJournaist reports that Cardinal Pell was moved to another prison last week after a drone flew over the facility where he was being held, local media reported.
Cardinal Pell is the most senior Catholic official worldwide imprisoned for child sex offences. The former Vatican treasurer is serving a six-year sentence for sexually assaulting two teen-aged choir boys.
A Department of Justice spokeswoman said on Sunday in an e-mailed statement that:
“Corrections Victoria can confirm that there was an incident involving a drone flying over the Melbourne Assessment Prison on Thursday.”
The spokeswoman declined to comment on Pell but said that the incident has been referred to the state police for investigation.
Cardinal George Pell new prison
Australian media reported that Cardinal Pell has been moved to a new facility following the incident.
Similarly, Melbourne-based newspaper The Herald Sun reported without identifying sources that Cardinal Pell has been moved to a high-security facility in regional Victoria.
According to the Department of Justice, flying a drone within 120m of a prison or youth justice facility in Australia is illegal and carries a penalty of a maximum of two years in prison.
Meanwhile, YaahooJournalist reports that Australia’s High Court agreed in November to hear Pell’s final appeal to overturn his conviction, with the hearing expected in March at the earliest.
