Australian ex-bishop jailed for sex offences

Former Broome bishop Christopher Alan Saunders was sentenced in Western Australia on Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexual offences against young men, according to a court official.

The sentence was backdated to August 12. Saunders had been found guilty in August of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault.

Saunders was one of Australia's most senior Catholics for decades and led the Diocese of Broome, a coastal region in northwest Australia that includes dozens of remote Aboriginal communities, for more than 20 years.

A victim said in a statement read in court that “I was a toy that he was using” and “I'm in so much pain”, national broadcaster ABC reported.

Saunders stood down as bishop in 2020 after allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced in Australian media, but he retained the honorary title of emeritus bishop. An initial police investigation did not find enough evidence to charge him.

The Vatican opened its own investigation in 2022 using powers created in 2019 to help the Catholic Church examine sexual abuse accusations at senior levels. The confidential church findings were later shared with police, who reopened their investigation.

Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, apologised to victims and survivors after the sentencing and said the crimes were a “shocking and shameful reminder” for the Church.