The former bishop of Australia’s Broome diocese was sentenced Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men.
Bishop Christopher Saunders, who led the diocese from 1996 until his resignation in 2021, was sentenced Oct. 7 at the District Court of Western Australia.
The 76-year-old will serve at least four years and six months, backdated to Aug. 12, 2026, the date he was convicted and taken into custody. He will become eligible for parole in February 2031, when he will be 81 years old.
Following a three-week trial, a jury found Saunders guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual penetration, arising from incidents between 2008 and 2019. He was found not guilty of six other charges.
Most of the charges reportedly concerned one victim, who was 16 when the sexual contact began and 19 when it ended.
Bishop Tim Norton, S.V.D., who has led the Broome diocese since 2024, said Oct. 7 that the victims, survivors, and other witnesses had shown “extraordinary resilience and inner strength” during the years-long process that ended with Saunders’
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