George Pell reportedly moved to maximum security prison following drone incident

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell has reportedly been moved to a maximum security prison after an incident involving a drone at his central Melbourne jail.

Australian Cardinal George Pell (C) is escorted in handcuffs from the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne.

Australian Cardinal George Pell (C) is escorted in handcuffs from the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne. Source: AFP

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell has reportedly been moved from his central Melbourne prison to a high-security facility in regional Victoria after a drone was flown over the jail.

"Corrections Victoria can confirm an incident involving a drone flying over the Melbourne Assessment Prison on Thursday," a Department of Justice spokeswoman told AAP on Sunday.

The drone was reportedly flying near a visitors' garden at the prison, located in Melbourne's CBD.

Cardinal George Pell leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in central Melbourne.
Cardinal George Pell leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria in central Melbourne. Source: AAP

Pell has been held at the prison for almost a year, after his 2018 conviction for sexually assaulting two teenage choirboys at Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral in the mid-1990s.

The high profile prisoner, whose legal case garnered global attention, had been given a job weeding and watering a garden inside the prison.

It has been speculated that the drone may have been used to try and get pictures of Pell, which could be worth a significant sum.

He has reportedly been moved from MAP to the maximum security Barwon Prison near Geelong since the incident, which has been referred to Victoria Police.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 120 metres of a prison or youth justice facility, and doing so can result in up to two years jail time.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated




Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world

George Pell reportedly moved to maximum security prison following drone incident | SBS News