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Australian Bishop Sentenced to Over Six Years for Sex Offenses
Confirmed
In Short: Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the sentence and the judge’s remarks recognized the gravity of the offenses and their profound impact on the victims and survivors.
Former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders, 76, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing young Aboriginal men in Western Australia's remote Kimberley region.
The court found Saunders guilty of 13 offenses: one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault, committed between 2008 and 2019.
Saunders, who led the Diocese of Broome from 1996 until his resignation in 2021, was sentenced on October 12, 2023, after a three-week trial.
The victims were young Aboriginal men who lived in the Kimberley, where Indigenous people make up more than 40 percent of the population.
The assaults occurred at various locations, including the former bishop's Catholic church-owned residence in Broome and a retreat known as the 'beach house'.
The judge noted that Saunders systematically groomed the victims, inviting them to 'shirts-off' gatherings and plying them with alcohol, often using church funds and church-owned properties.
One victim's statement read aloud in court described the pain and said Saunders had violated their autonomy over their body.
Saunders' former secretary, Cherrille Quilty, testified at his trial and said she wished his prison term was longer.
The judge said he was giving no weight to evidence of good character, as those people did not know Saunders well.
Saunders will be eligible for parole in February 2031, with a non-parole period of four years and six months.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the sentence and the judge’s remarks recognized the gravity of the offenses and their profound impact on the victims and survivors.
The Vatican opened a canonical investigation into the allegations against Bishop Saunders in 2022 and appointed retired Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane to oversee the process.
Background
Christopher Saunders, the former Bishop of Broome, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men in Western Australia's remote Kimberley region.
Former Florida congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of Venezuela's government.
What's confirmed
- Saunders will be eligible for parole in February 2031.
- An Australian district court found Bishop Saunders guilty of committing over a dozen counts of sexual abuse against three young Aboriginal men in August.
- Published in 2019 and updated in 2023, “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You Are the Light of the World”) outlines the Catholic Church’s procedures for investigating allegations of sexual abuse or the cover-up of abuse.
- Judge Martin Flynn of the District Court of Western Australia set a non-parole period of four years and six months, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
- Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the sentence and the judgeʼs remarks recognized the gravity of the offenses and their profound impact on the victims and survivors.
What's still developing
- Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, was found guilty earlier this year of multiple offences against the men when he was the bishop of a remote area of Western Australia three times larger than England.
- "It's quite shocking that the Vatican hasn't acted to remove him, we want him excommunicated as quickly as possible," she said.
- He said the ACBC would redouble its efforts at "safeguarding, accountability and transparency".
- ( Supplied ) The court had been told of "shirts off" gatherings that Saunders held, supplying alcohol and food to young men wearing only boxer shorts.
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- “We remain deeply sorry for the pain, hurt and loss you experienced,” Norton said in a pastoral letter following the verdict.
- A church probe into the retired clergyman's activities was suspended when the West Australian police started investigating him.
Sources
- ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporationlink
- America Magazinelink
- BBClink
- Catholic World Reportlink
- Ewtnnewslink
- Ncregisterlink
- Novanewslink
- OSV Newslink
- Outlook Indialink
- The Pillarlink
- Sbslink
- WarpBeat — background on Former Australian Bishop Jailed for Sexually Abusing Young Men link
- WarpBeat — background on Former Rep. David Rivera Sentenced to 10 Years for Venezuela Lobbying link
- 7NEWS Australia — video link