MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian judge on Tuesday adjourned a trial of Australian journalists and media to consider whether to dismiss charges they breached a court suppression order on reporting of ex-Vatican treasurer George Pell’s 2018 child sex abuse conviction.Supreme Court of Victoria judge John Dixon said he expected to make the decision in a few days. Lawyers for the media asked the court to throw out the whole case, or dismiss charges just against the journalists as they were not responsible for publishing their articles, or dismiss charges against media outside the state of Victoria - News Corp’s Courier Mail and Daily Telegraph, and Nine Entertainment’s Sydney Morning Herald and 2GB Radio. Pell was convicted in December 2018 of sexually assaulting two choirboys, but reporting on the trial and outcome was gagged by the County Court of Victoria to ensure the cardinal received a fair trial on further charges he was due to face. Overseas media, including the Washington Post, reported the news, naming Pell and the charges, shortly after the verdict.
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