Michael Pell: Why a mysterious image of the Sunrise boss ‘bloodied and bandaged’ has sparked intrigue over his bizarre job in Los Angeles

One of the Seven Network’s most senior executives has explained why he sent a reporter at a rival media organisation a picture of Sunrise’s former executive producer bloodied and covered in bandages. 

Seven’s commercial director Bruce McWilliam reportedly told the journalist that Michael Pell had been driven to self-harm by her inquiries about a secret fraud investigation at the network. 

‘This is what your unfounded reports have caused Michael to do,’ Mr McWilliam wrote in an email to Sydney Morning Herald journalist Zoe Samios in October 2022. 

‘Why don’t you keep it up so he kills himself,’ Mr McWilliam continued, according to a report in Nine Newspapers. 

An accompanying photograph showed Pell in a hospital gown with a cut on his forehead.  

Mr McWilliam told Samios the fraud investigation she alleged was being conducted by law firm Seyfarth Shaw had never been undertaken.

‘That law firm you name – didn’t conduct any investigation,’ Mr McWilliam wrote. 

‘If you publish untrue allegations. And he tops himself. It’s on you… And we are determined to protect him.’

According to Nine, the Herald dropped the fraud investigation story due to concerns for Pell’s wellbeing.

The newspaper later learnt the photograph which purported to show Pell after an episode of self-harm was actually taken when he was injured after blacking out on a Los Angeles street several weeks earlier.

Mr McWilliam told news.com.au he sent the email to Samios because he felt he had a duty to defend Pell.

‘I make no excuse for having acted to protect a colleague, against whom false allegations were being made,’ Mr McWilliam said.

‘Michael Pell has been a friend of mine for many years, and so the allegation in [Nine Newspapers] that the image was used without his consent is ridiculous.’

Mr McWilliam said the photograph was supplied to him by Pell’s husband Daniel Burgess-Wise.

‘[Nine] alleged it was… old but that wasn’t made clear to me and I don’t even know whether what they say is true,’ he said. 

‘[Mr Burgess-Wise] asked me if I could help Michael and I if I could do something to stop the attacks on him, emanating from the questions [sent by Samios], which became increasingly fierce and misleading.’ 

A Seven spokesperson confirmed on Monday that Pell, who drove Sunrise’s ratings success and domination over Nine’s Today, no longer worked for the network.

Nine reported Seyfarth Shaw had in fact been commissioned to investigate travel benefits provided to Sunrise employees by Qantas and Accor Hotels.

It had been alleged three employees and a number of their family or friends had misused those benefits. 

Seyfarth Shaw in turn hired forensic accountants to conduct an inquiry called Project Rally.

Seven instructed the law firm not to interview Sunrise staff and Project Rally made no findings against anyone, according to Nine. 

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Pell or anyone else employed by Sunrise or their associates misused travel benefits or otherwise acted fraudulently. 

Seven has been contacted for comment.  

Pell was made executive producer of Sunrise in 2010 aged 28 and under his guidance the program dominated the breakfast television market. 

He left Sunrise in March 2022 when Seven appointed him senior vice-president, entertainment content, North America, a role based in Los Angeles.  

Seven has been criticised over the past week following allegations its Spotlight program funded prostitutes and drugs for Bruce Lehrmann while seeking to interview the alleged rapist. 

Mr Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over an interview on The Project in which Brittany Higgins claimed she had been raped at Parliament House. 

Ms Higgins did not name Mr Lehrmann as her alleged rapist during that interview but he claims he could be identified. 

Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins.

Justice Michael Lee is set to deliver his findings in the Federal Court defamation case on Monday. 

Do you know more? Email stephen.gibbs@mailonline.com