Former Catholic Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison after being convicted of 13 sexual offences against two young Aboriginal men in Western Australia.
Saunders, 76, was sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia on Wednesday, October 7. He will be eligible for parole in February 2031. The sentence was backdated to August, when he was taken into custody following his conviction.
A jury found Saunders guilty in August of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of indecent assault. The offences occurred between 2008 and 2019 while he was serving as Bishop of Broome, covering the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The offences involved two young Aboriginal men and took place at Catholic Church properties, including the bishop’s former residence in Broome and a retreat known as the “beach house.”
During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Saunders hosted gatherings involving young Aboriginal men, alcohol and food. The court heard that some of the sexual offending occurred in that environment. Saunders did not give evidence at his trial, although recordings of police interviews containing his denials were played to the jury.
Saunders had originally faced a larger number of charges relating to three young men. The jury acquitted him of six charges, while seven additional charges were withdrawn from consideration during the trial because prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to support convictions.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, Judge Martin Flynn read part of a statement from one of the victims, who described the continuing psychological pain caused by the abuse. The judge said Saunders had disregarded the victims’ right to make free choices about what happened to their bodies.
The case has drawn particular attention because of Saunders’ position within the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Broome from 1996 until he stepped aside in 2020 after allegations about his conduct became public. Pope Francis accepted his resignation in 2021.
The Vatican had previously investigated allegations concerning Saunders under its Vos estis lux mundi safeguarding procedures. The church investigation was suspended while Australian police pursued their criminal investigation and is expected to resume following the conclusion of the court proceedings.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has apologised to the victims, with its president, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, saying their trust had been “profoundly betrayed” by a church leader. The Diocese of Broome also expressed sorrow over the harm suffered by the victims.
Saunders’ conviction is significant within Australia’s long-running reckoning with sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. He was one of the country’s longest-serving and most senior Catholic clerics, and his conviction makes him the highest-ranking Australian Catholic to be convicted of sexual abuse during his time as a member of the clergy, according to Australian media reports.
With Saunders now serving his sentence, attention is expected to turn to the Catholic Church’s internal proceedings and whether further action will be taken against the former bishop. For the victims, however, the criminal case has brought a formal finding of responsibility after years of allegations and investigations.
