A Western Australian district court jury on Thursday found Christopher Saunders, 76, the former Catholic bishop of Broome, guilty of 13 sexual offences committed against two Aboriginal men between 2008 and 2019.
The convictions include one count of sexual penetration without consent and a dozen counts of unlawful and indecent assault. The offences took place at his residence, motels, and a church holiday home, where prosecutors said Saunders regularly groped victims with his hands and feet. One victim was 16 when the abuse began. The jury acquitted Saunders of six other charges, and prosecutors had earlier withdrawn four charges involving an alleged victim under 13.
Saunders, ordained a priest in 1976, spent most of his career in the remote Kimberley region and was appointed bishop of Broome in 1996, overseeing 13 schools and nine parishes before stepping aside in 2020 when the allegations became public.