George Pell freed: Exclusive pictures from 7NEWS show acquitted Cardinal out and about en route to Sydney

Exclusive pictures of newly-released Cardinal George Pell stopping off at a petrol station on his way to Sydney have been released by 7NEWS ahead of a rare interview due to air tonight.

7NEWS reporter Paul Dowsley said Cardinal Pell was on his way to Sydney in a car when he stopped off at a petrol station.

Dowsley said the high-profile Catholic Church figure, who was sensationally acquitted yesterday of raping a 13-year-old choirboy and molesting his friend, was sitting in the back passenger seat on the journey.

“During a brief stop he bought newspapers and a phone charger and spoke of his relief at his acquittal,” Dowsley said.

Pell, 78, was originally convicted in December 2018 of raping the 13-year-old choirboy and molesting his friend after a Sunday Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996.

But he was freed from prison yesterday when the High Court in Brisbane granted his leave to appeal.

Due to strict social distancing rules in place in Queensland, the decision was announced on Twitter.

“The High Court found that the jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as to the applicant's guilt with respect to each of the offences for which he was convicted, and ordered that the convictions be quashed and that verdicts of acquittal be entered in their place,” the decision read.

Pell was released from Barwon Prison, near Geelong. He had spent more than 400 days behind bars.

See the exclusive pictures and interview only on 7NEWS tonight at 6pm.