So my understanding of this is:
- Lindhirst gets caught viewing child porn by his wife.
- She waits 6 months and goes to the elders
- Elders meet Lindhirst who denies the accusation
- Lindhirst's wife picks up the computer and leaves. Lindhirst fesses up to the elders.
- The next day Lindhirst's wife takes the computer to the police and tells them the perv had fessed up to the elders.
- The elders get questioned by the rozzers and confirm Lindhirst had confessed.
- The rozzers get a warrant and search the computer and, presumably, the house etc.
- The perv gets brought up to the beak and then his slimy counsel tries to get the whole thing thrown out of court by claiming the search warrant was not valid as Lindhirst's clergy-penitent rights had been ignored.
As the judge rightly says the fact the weasel's wife was in the police station with his computer and her own statement was enough for the police to act.
I guess some credit must be due to the elders for making their statements. I accept they didn't go to the police themselves but they also didn't hide behind some legal framework to avoid making any statement. I wonder what advice WT legal gave them? I also wonder what the circumstances were for the perv's wife to go to the police? Was she advised or encouraged to do so by the elders or did she go because the elders wouldn't do anything themselves?