‘When improper access to information is found to occur, the court takes decisive action,’ a spokeswoman says

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Victoria’s county court has fired a staff member for accessing sensitive information about the trial of Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, who is facing historical sexual offence charges.

“The court takes the management and security of information seriously and has systems in place to detect where information is accessed without authority,” a court spokeswoman said.

Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon

“When improper access to information is found to occur, the court takes decisive action. This is exactly what has occurred in this case.”

The Herald Sun reported on Wednesday that there were concerns about the integrity of the case as a result, and that it was unknown precisely what information the staffer had attempted to access.

Pell has denied all of the allegations made against him. His case returns to the Melbourne court on Wednesday morning for legal argument.