Cardinal Pell in custody after lawyers withdrew bail application

Cardinal George Pell has been taken in custody following a sentencing hearing in which his lawyer, Robert Richter, described one of Pell’s offences as a “plain vanilla sexual penetration case where the child is not actively participating”.

After the hearing, with Pell’s lawyer having withdrawn his application for bail, the chief judge, Peter Kidd, said: “Take him away, please.” Pell will be sentenced on 13 March.

The ex-Vatican treasurer abused two boys in 1996, a jury found in December.

The cardinal is the most senior Catholic figure ever convicted of sexual abuse. He maintains he is innocent and has lodged an appeal.

A jury unanimously convicted Pell of one charge of sexually penetrating a child under 16, and four counts of committing an indecent act on a child under 16.

The verdict and details of the case had been kept secret until Tuesday due to legal reasons.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, a court heard on Wednesday.

Pell's conviction has rocked the Catholic Church. He was considered one of the Pope's closest advisers and spent five years overseeing the Vatican's finances.

On Tuesday, the Vatican confirmed that Pell was prohibited from public ministry, and banned from having contact with minors. He has to abide by these rules until any appeal is over.

Pell was archbishop of Melbourne when he abused two 13-year-old boys in a cathedral following a mass, the County Court of Victoria heard last year.

After telling them they were in trouble for drinking communion wine, Pell forced each boy into indecent acts, prosecutors said. He abused one of the boys again in 1997.

The court heard testimony from one of the victims. The other died of a drug overdose in 2014.

Judge Peter Kidd said the abuse was "callous" and "brazen", adding: "It did involve a breach of trust and a degree of impunity. How else did he think he was going to get away with it?"

He revoked Pell's bail following a lengthy hearing.