Former Bishop Christopher Saunders guilty of sexually abusing young men

Former Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, has been convicted of one count of sexual penetration and twelve counts of indecent assault against young indigenous men.

He is the highest-ranked Catholic in history to be found guilty of sex crimes. Forty-five years a priest. Twenty-five years a bishop. The rest of his life a convicted sex offender.

The 76-year-old was convicted of sexual offences against two men while he was the Bishop of Broome.

He was one of the most senior and long-serving Catholic clerics in the country. While serving as the Catholic Bishop of Broome, he was accused of sex offences against three young men.

The District Court jury took almost seven hours to find him guilty of abusing two of the men.He was convicted of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault. He was found not guilty of six other charges.

The ABC reported that the former bishop did not react when the verdict was read out.

In a statement, Bishop of Broome Tim Norton apologised, saying the diocese was “deeply sorry for the hurt they have experienced”.

“We are sorry for the shame they have endured,” he wrote. “We are sorry that it has taken so long for their voices to be heard and for their pain to be acknowledged.”

Saunders gave young men alcohol at shirt-off gatherings

The victims were young Aboriginal men who lived in the Kimberley, and the assaults happened at various places, including Saunders’ church-owned residence and a retreat known as ‘the beach house ‘.

The court had been told Saunders would hold ‘shirts off’ gatherings and supplied alcohol and food to young men wearing only boxer shorts. He would engage in wrestling and boxing with the young men.

The court was told Saunders used his feet to grab the young men’s “privates” and engaged in oral sex without consent in one instance. Saunders chose to give evidence in his defence. Jurors only heard him deny the offences in police interview recordings.

Reports can now reveal that on the first day of the trial, without the jury present, the prosecution told the court four charges, involving a much younger alleged victim, would be discontinued.

These were:

three counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13,
one count of sexual penetration of a child under 13

Saunders has made no application for bail and has been remanded in custody. He will face court on September 21 for sentencing.

‘Showed tremendous courage in coming forward’

Saunders’ own priests and secretary turned whistleblowers seven years ago regarding the assaults when the church refused to act.

Documents revealed the Catholic Church was told of sexual misconduct allegations nearly a year before taking action in 2020.

Detective Andrew Broadley thanked those who assisted with the investigation.

“I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the complainants and the many witnesses in this case who showed tremendous courage in coming forward, engaging with police and taking part in the investigative process and ultimately the prosecution,” he said.

“We recognise the significance of the verdict today for those involved. We really acknowledge and thank all of the people who came and helped us with this investigation.”

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