Jailed Australian cardinal George Pell to appeal against child sex abuse conviction

The Vatican's former number-three Cardinal George Pell will on Wednesday begin his appeal against convictions for "brazen" sex attacks on two choirboys in the 1990s.

Pell, who managed church finances and helped elect two popes, argues the verdict was "unreasonable", that jurors were not shown vital evidence, and that he was not asked to enter a plea in front of the panel.

The most senior figure in the Catholic church to be convicted of historical child sexual offences, Pell was sentenced in March to six years in prison.

Pell, 77, was found guilty of five charges of abusing two 13-year-old boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral while he was Archbishop of Melbourne more than 20 years ago.

The trial judge said that Pell, a former top adviser to Pope Francis, could die in jail. He is eligible for parole in late 2022.

He is appealing against his conviction on three grounds: the jury’s verdicts were “unreasonable” based on the evidence, the judge erred by blocking the defence from showing a video graphic in its closing argument, and there was a “fundamental irregularity” as Pell did not make his plea in the presence of the jury panel.

The appeal will be heard by three judges and will be live-streamed on the Supreme Court of Victoria’s web site. The appeals court is part of the state’s Supreme Court.

If the judges grant the appeal on the first ground, the conviction would be thrown out. If the appeal is granted on the second or third, then Pell could face a fresh trial.

The case will be presided over by three judges - Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Anne Ferguson, President of the Court of Appeal Justice Chris Maxwell and Justice Mark Weinberg.