Former Australian Catholic bishop sentenced to 6.5 years for abusing Indigenous men
In short
A former Australian Catholic bishop, Christopher Saunders, 76, was sentenced Wednesday in a Western Australia state court to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. A jury convicted him in August of 13 of 19 charges of abuse that occurred between 2008 and 2019 in the Broome Diocese. He was acquitted of six charges involving a third accuser, and will become eligible for parole in February 2031.
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PERTH, Australia — A former Australian Catholic bishop was sentenced Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. Christopher Saunders, 76, was sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia and will become eligible for parole in February 2031, according to the reports. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
A state jury convicted Saunders in August of 13 of 19 charges of sexual abuse that occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his Broome Diocese on the country's tropical northwest coast, the reports said. He was acquitted of six charges involving a third accuser, and four charges involving a child younger than 13 were dropped on the first day of his three-week trial. The reports state that he was accused of indecent dealing with a child over the age of 16, and that while the age of consent in Western Australia is 16, the law raises it to 18 if the older person is in a position of trust, power or responsibility. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Prosecutors alleged Saunders lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds, the documents said. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Saunders led the remote Broome Diocese from 1996 until he resigned in 2021. The Outback diocese covers an area larger than France with only 50,000 people, and most of the region's Catholics are Indigenous, the documents say. The reports describe Saunders as one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has faced the Vatican for years, noting that Cardinal George Pell was convicted of abusing choirboys and Archbishop Philip Wilson was convicted of covering up child sex abuse by a priest, but that both clerics successfully appealed their convictions. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said the sentence recognised the gravity and serious nature of Saunders's offences, and also recognised the profound impact on the victims and survivors of his crimes. “To each victim and survivor who courageously revealed what they had endured, we want to say this: We are sorry for the pain and suffering that was inflicted…” Costelloe said, in a statement that is truncated in the documents carrying it. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The documents describe Saunders as one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has faced the Vatican for years, giving the sentencing significance beyond the remote diocese where the abuse occurred. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president said the sentence recognised the gravity of the offences and their impact on victims and survivors. The case concerns abuse of Indigenous men in a diocese where, the documents say, most Catholics are Indigenous.
Key facts
- Christopher Saunders, 76, a former Catholic bishop in Australia, was sentenced Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- A District Court of Western Australia jury convicted him in August of 13 of 19 charges of sexual abuse occurring between 2008 and 2019 in the Broome Diocese. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Saunders will become eligible for parole in February 2031. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- He was acquitted of six charges involving a third accuser and four charges involving a child younger than 13 were dropped on the first day of his three-week trial. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Prosecutors alleged Saunders lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Saunders led the remote Broome Diocese from 1996 until he resigned in 2021. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said the sentence recognised the gravity of the offences and their profound impact on victims and survivors. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Saunders was sentenced to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- A Western Australia state jury convicted him in August of 13 of 19 charges of sexual abuse between 2008 and 2019 in the Broome Diocese. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- He will become eligible for parole in February 2031. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- He was acquitted of six charges involving a third accuser, and four charges involving a child younger than 13 were dropped on the first day of the trial. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Saunders led the Broome Diocese from 1996 until he resigned in 2021. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said the sentence recognised the gravity of the offences and the impact on victims and survivors, and said the church was sorry for the pain inflicted. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the convictions or the sentence will be appealed. None of the documents say whether an appeal is planned or possible.
- The full text of Archbishop Timothy Costelloe's statement. The quoted statement is cut off mid-sentence in all documents that carry it.
- Any response from Saunders or his lawyers. The documents do not include comment from Saunders or his legal representatives.
- Details of the victims' current circumstances. The documents identify the victims only as two young Indigenous men.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Associated Press reports that a former Australian Catholic bishop was sentenced Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men. [ 1 ]
- The Seattle Times publishes the Associated Press report on the sentencing. [ 2 ]
- The Associated Press publishes a Spanish-language report with the headline that a former Australian Catholic bishop was convicted of abusing Indigenous men. [ 3 ]
- CNN reports the sentencing and the details of the conviction, acquittals and church response. [ 4 ]