Christopher Saunders: Disgraced former Bishop of Broome learns fate for historical sex offences

Disgraced former bishop Christopher Saunders has been jailed for grooming and molesting two young Aboriginal men more than a decade ago.

The 76-year-old former Bishop of Broome was sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment on Wednesday, nearly two months after a District Court jury found him guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing two men in the State’s north between 2010 and 2019.

The sentence was backdated to August 12, 2026. He will be eligible for parole after four and a half years.

Saunders was convicted of 13 offences, including rape. He is the most senior Catholic to be convicted of historic sex offences.

He was also acquitted of three counts of unlawful and indecent assault relating to a third complainant, which allegedly occurred in Broome in 2016.

In handing down his sentence, District Court Judge Martin Flynn said that Saunders “disregarded the dignity” of each of his two victims.

“There is nothing remarkable about a minister of religion making gifts ... there is nothing remarkable about a minister of religion hosting a gathering for particular groups, young men for example,” he said on Wednesday.

“What is remarkable is your decision: a mature, intelligent adult, professing to be an advocate for social justice for Aboriginal people.

“(Your victims were) intoxicated by alcohol that you supplied ... a Catholic Minister, a Bishop no less. (Your victims) could not and did not freely voluntary consent to sexual activity initiated by you.”

Judge Flynn said he could not give any weight to Saunders’ character references, stating, “the secret nature of the offending means frankly, that people who thought (they) knew you well, did not know you well.”

One of Saunders’ two victims provided a victim impact statement, telling the court that the former Bishop betrayed his trust and treated him like a “toy”.

“My head is pounding now, I am in so much pain, I have too much running through my head for what he did to me,” he told the court.

“I can’t talk about it, it f***ed my head up ... I am ashamed of myself. I want to move on but I can’t move on because it never leaves my head.”

Saunders appeared from custody wearing a black cassock, and showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down.

Over the course of his 17-day trial, the jury heard how Saunders hosted alcohol-fuelled parties, which included a dress code demand of no shirts, and insisted the men strip down to just their boxers.

During his evidence, one of his victims recalled Saunders placing his genitals onto the young man’s foot, telling him: “Come on brother, no one is going to know, no one is going to find out.”

He said he felt no choice but to “go along with him just to please him”, and that he was scared the bishop would “shut me up” if he was disobeyed.

State Prosecutor Adam Ebell said Saunders regularly used his feet to engage in physical contact with young Aboriginal men.

He also said that Saunders used boxing and wrestling as a subterfuge for physical contact.

“He would use his own feet to touch these men and would encourage or direct them to do the same . . . it often involved the accused using his feet to touch their feet, their leg, their groin, their penis,” he said at the time.

“The accused had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men and had a propensity and tendency to act on sexual interest when the opportunity provided itself.”

Saunders did not give evidence during his own trial.

Saunders was ordained as a priest in 1976 and moved to the Kimberley region full-time before becoming a bishop in 1996.

He resigned from his position in Broome in August 2021.

More to come...

If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028.

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