Former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders has been jailed for six years and six months after being convicted of sexually abusing two Aboriginal men in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
Saunders, 76, was sentenced in the WA District Court on Wednesday, after a jury found him guilty in August of 13 charges including unlawful and indecent assault, and penetration without consent.
The offences were committed between 2010 and 2019, while Saunders was the most senior Catholic figure in the Kimberley diocese. The two men were Catholics who lived in the region.
Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders had systematically groomed the victims, including by using church funds and church-owned properties to host alcohol-fuelled “shirts-off” parties.
The most serious conviction related to an incident on a farm outside Kununurra. The court heard that one complainant had been drinking with Saunders and became intoxicated before lying down.
The man said he felt Saunders force oral sex on him and tried to push him away. Saunders continued and said: “Come on brother, it’s between me and you – no one is going to find out.”
Judge Flynn accepted the complainant’s evidence, saying he had been so intoxicated that it was impossible for him to freely and voluntarily consent.
The second victim reported being groped and kissed by Saunders without consent. Judge Flynn said both men had given resilient and factual evidence, with “remarkably similar” accounts of the bishop’s gatherings and his behaviour towards young men.
Saunders’ sentence was backdated to August 12 and he will be eligible for parole after serving four and a half years.
Only the victim in the most serious case provided a victim impact statement. The court heard that he had trusted Saunders and believed the bishop wanted to help him become a better person.
“I realise after all those years I was a toy he was using,” the man said in the statement. “I want to move on but I can’t move on because it doesn’t leave my head.”
Judge Flynn criticised Saunders for repeatedly providing alcohol to young Aboriginal men, saying he had likely contributed to addiction difficulties they experienced later in life.
“In deciding to prioritise your desire for sex gratification you disregarded the dignity of each of those victims,” he said.
The judge also said he would give no weight to character letters submitted on Saunders’ behalf, saying the man described by the writers was evidently not the man he had shown himself to be.
After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Andrew Broadley said the complainants were relieved that the case was over and praised their “courage and resilience”.
“It has been incredibly difficult they summoned an immense amount of courage to make these reports in the first place, so I’m just glad we have had the opportunity to support them over the last three years,” he said.
Tim Murray, a private investigator hired by the Vatican when the allegations emerged, said he hoped young Indigenous people in the Kimberley could begin to heal.
Now that the criminal proceedings have ended, the Vatican can restart its own investigation into Saunders’ conduct under Vos Estis Lux Mundi.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said the case was a “shocking and shameful reminder” of the crimes committed, adding that “the journey of the Church must also continue”.
At least two witnesses at the trial have called on the Vatican to defrock Saunders and remove his title as emeritus bishop.
