What can you tell us?

I can tell you now that Cardinal George Pell has been convicted on five counts of child sexual abuse.

This information cannot just be published now because the suppression order was lifted only a few minutes ago.

George Pell, Cardinal third highest ranked ranking member off the Vatican.

Convicted of five counts of child sexual abuse, the 77 year old, exactly tried at the end of last year relates to incidents at some Patrick's Cathedral In 1996 when he was archbishop of Melbourne, two men alleged that he forced him to perform sexual excellent on him when he was a T end of a mess.

On that particular day, he's been very guilty of four counts of performing an indecent act of the child under the age of 16.

One cat of sexual penetration of a child aged under six dame.

Now one of those young men has since passed on the trial actually only heard from one witness, and that was the other man.

The jury deliberated for two and 1/2 days and came back with a unanimous verdict.

George Pell had committed these crimes.

He's now waiting for him to come out now.

Now, this suppression, what has been lifted?

He'll be back in this court tomorrow when the sentencing begins.

But Justice paid a kid trial judge and head of the county court is indicated he expects George Pill will go to jail.

Bret, we can see behind you.

There is a huge security presence there.

How did Appel react to this news is it came down in court?

Well, he would have known.

We knew that bad.

The conviction last year, simply a matter of when the media could report this, it was only because another separate trial had been dropped.

We are allowed to report this information today to point out to that.

Robert Richter Qc.

Who's George?

Pills Lawyer is indicated they will be appealing this conviction, arguing that it wasn't made on safe grounds that will be going to the Court of appeal sometime in the next couple of days.

But concurrently, George Pell will be sentence.

NASA, I said the judge has indicated that he will be going to jail at the moment.

George Bill is a free man, but when he goes back into court tomorrow, it's quite likely that during that sentencing process, he will go into custody then.

This may be the last time we see George Hill in public.

For the time being, the cardinal has always maintained his innocence.

Bread?

Are we expecting him to speak at all this morning, knowing that he has a limited time ahead of him before he returns to court tomorrow morning?

He hasn't spoken all throughout this process except at the very beginning before the trial began to protest his innocence before he came back from Rome for that initial trial given now that there's a sentencing about to get underway and an appeal process like it's very unlikely he'll he'll be making any public comment, we'll have to wait two to say where the church has anything, decide whether it's the church here in Melbourne or indeed, the Vatican, which is only just held a three day conference on the issue of sexual abuse.

And just to reiterate, George Hill is the highest member of the Catholic Church anyway in the world to be convicted child sexual abuse.

Brett, It's because of that reason we have seen a huge amount of international media attention on this this morning, but it has been somewhat limited in how we can report this.

What is the attendants like there this morning?

Have you got media from the Vatican and from the world descending there on Melbourne right around the world?

And there's actually a lot here last week as well.

We thought things would be able to report that was delayed until this process on.

Yes, they've been people coming here from the States from Asia from Europe, because story carries enormous white given cardinal pills status within the church.

Third highest member of the Vatican, he was effectively the treasurer for the Vatican, appointed by the pope to oversee the Vatican's finances.

But once those charges were laid last year, George Bill was encouraged by the Vatican by the pope to come back here, and it was thought even then it was very unlikely he would ever return to the Vatican, regardless of the outcome of this trial, because the church did not want to have him with those particular charges, having Ivy him back on that soil and Brett, what is security like at the court that this morning It is a very volatile emotional issue there We've seen supporters of child sex abuse victims before arriving cases like that in the past.

Is there a need for security there?

This morning certainly has been a high security presence that we normally see.

The candy corn Victoria Way was clear when George Hill arrived by both police and what looked like some private security to lead him into court 3.34 Today's hearing, and even as he leaves to it's quite a bit of security.

And there are survivors here of sexual abuse.

I know that they'll have quite a bit to say once now this process is over.

George Bell was heavily criticized by survivors because of the way he handled the child sex abuse response in Melbourne and beyond.

That is also a strong critic of the sex abuse Royal Commission and in fact, to my memory.

The last time he was in the particular courtroom just left 3.3.

It was when he was giving evidence at the Child Sexual Abuse Roll Commission.

Bret the Cardinal's health has always been an issue of contention.

Throughout the course of off this particular matter, it's the fort coming back from the Vatican because they said he wasn't well enough.

He is back in Australia now, and he's been part of this process.

But how is he seemed?

In terms of his health?

He's been very frail.

He didn't need to have two knee operations.

I understand, and you'll see in a lot of footage that we can only reveal now in the times he's gone in and out of court over the past few months.

It's been on crutches, looking very much.

He's 77 years quite stooped.

George Hill had been a physically overbearing man, but he's been aged considerably by the knee injuries, although he's walking more freely these days.

And as I said earlier, we've heard nothing from him during this process, which is only what you'd expect from someone on such serious charges.

Well, Brett, let's just recap.

They know on this sentence that all the verdict that's been given this morning and way too from here now because it'll be back in court tomorrow morning.

As I say, George Hill, convicted of five child sexual abuse, charges four counts of performing an indecent act of the child under the age of 16 1 count of sexual penetration of a child aged under 16 all five charges.

The jury, after deliberating for two and 1/2 days, unanimously found him guilty.

The next step in the prices George Hill back here tomorrow before the same judge where the plea hearing will begin on what sentence is appropriate.

But the judge has indicated along that guilty verdict means jail time and any indication at this stage of whether an appeal may be lodged.

Yes.

George Bell's lawyer, Robert Richter Que Se Avery, prominent barrister in Melbourne, has already indicated that they will be appealing this verdict.

They say that they don't believe that there was good grants for the verdict to be reached that will be taken over by the Court of Appeal, literally across the road.

From where I'm standing, probably those papers will be lodged straightaway.

When that will be heard, may take some time.

It's quite possible whole sensing process of you finished by the time that the the appeal process is over.

George Pell is a man who almost needs no introduction.

Ever since he came to public Live from came to prominence as archbishop of Melbourne.