Australian bishop found guilty of sexually abusing young men
August 13, 2026
A retired Australian bishop was convicted today of sexually abusing two young men.
Following nearly seven hours of jury deliberations, Bishop Christopher Saunders, 76, was convicted of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault. Bishop Saunders, who was on trial for on trial for sexual abuse allegedly committed against three young males between 2008 and 2017, was acquitted of six other charges.
“The assaults happened at various places, including at the Bishop’s Catholic church-owned residence in the popular tourist haven of Broome, and at a retreat known as the beach house,” the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. “The court had been told of ‘shirts off’ gatherings that Saunders held, supplying alcohol and food to young men.”
The bishop will be sentenced at a later date.
The prelate was bishop of Broome from 1995 to 2021, when he resigned after allegations were first made. The initial police investigation ended without charges.
A canonical investigation yielded a 200-page report that was leaked and then, amid considerable political pressure, handed over to civil authorities, resulting in the prelate’s arrest in 2024.
Bishop Saunders “likely sexually assaulted four youths while potentially grooming another 67,” the leaked canonical investigation stated. “The bishop has been variously described by witnesses” as “a sexual predator that seeks to prey upon vulnerable Aboriginal men and boys.”
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