Disgraced former Catholic bishop, Christopher Saunders, has been sentence to six and half years behind bars for grooming and molesting two young Aboriginal men more than a decade ago.
The District Court found him guilty of the offences in August, and today Judge Martin Flynn sentenced Saunders to a term of imprisonment. The sentence was backdated to 12 August 2026, and he will be eligible for parole after four and half years. Saunders is now 76 years old.
The court found Saunders guilty of 13 offences, including rape. He is the most senior Catholic to be convicted of historical sex offences in Australia, he resigned from his position in the church in 2021.
Saunders was acquitted of two charges of unlawfully dealing with a child over 16 under his authority and four additional indecent assault charges. Saunders was also acquitted of a further seven charges during the trial after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence for those matters to be considered by the jury.
During the trial the court heard that the religious leader would organise parties for young men, supply alcohol, and insist that all the guests took their shirts off. State Prosecutor Adam Ebell said Saunders would use boxing and wrestling as a subterfuge for physical contact with the young men.
