EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

Angry residents have confronted and filmed a group of men painting over a provocative mural of Liberal MP Tony Abbott and Cardinal George Pell on the wall of a Newtown pub just 24 hours after it was finished.

A provocative mural in Newtown was covered with black paint on Thursday night.

Scott Marsh painted the mural, titled The Happy Ending, on the wall of the Botany View Hotel in Newtown in support of same sex marriage on Wednesday night.

Within hours, white paint had been spattered over George Pell's face. Then, on Thursday night, the mural was painted over with black paint.