Former Broome bishop jailed for over six years for sexually abusing young Aboriginal men
A West Australian court has sentenced 76-year-old former Broome bishop Christopher Alan Saunders to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men. He will be eligible for parole after four years and six months.
Christopher Alan Saunders, the former Catholic bishop of Broome, was sentenced on Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexual offences against two young Aboriginal men. He can apply for parole after serving four years and six months.
A jury in the West Australian District Court found him guilty of 13 offences committed between 2008 and 2019. They include one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 charges of unlawful and indecent assault. The sentence is backdated to August, when Saunders, now 76, was convicted and taken into custody.
The jury acquitted him on six other charges, and seven further similar charges were dropped during the trial because of insufficient evidence.
The prosecution case
Prosecutors said Saunders, referred to by his victims as Brother B, held alcohol-fuelled parties at properties owned by the Catholic church to gain access to Aboriginal boys and men. Prosecutor Adam Ebell told the court the accused had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men and a tendency to act on it when an opportunity arose.
Career in the church
Saunders was ordained as the second bishop of Broome in 1996 and oversaw 13 schools and nine parishes. He stepped aside in 2020 when the allegations became public, and Pope Francis accepted his resignation a year later.
Unless the verdict is overturned on appeal, Saunders would be the highest-ranking Catholic in Australia convicted of sexual abuse. Cardinal George Pell was found guilty in 2018, but the High Court later acquitted him.
Church inquiry
A church investigation was suspended once West Australian police began their own inquiry. It is now due to resume after the trial. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said in August that its findings would inform decisions in Rome about Saunders' position in the church. He added that the crimes violate victims' dignity and betray their trust, and praised the courage of those who came forward.
