Former Australian bishop jailed for sexually abusing young men

ByTiffanie TurnbullSydneyPublished7 October 2026, 04:12 BSTUpdated 4 minutes agoFormer Australian bishop Christopher Saunders has been jailed for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men during his time as a Catholic cleric.Saunders - who resigned as Bishop of Broome when first accused of wrongdoing in 2020 - was found guilty of one charge of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault.The 76-year-old was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment, but will be eligible for release on parole in February 2031.He is one of the most senior Catholic leaders in the world to face charges of this nature.His trial in the state of Western Australia heard Saunders systematically groomed the two young men, inviting them to "shirts-off" gatherings and plying them with alcohol, often using church funds and church-owned properties to do so.He was convicted of kissing and molesting the men, and in one instance forcing oral sex on one of them.In a victim impact statement provided to the court, that young man said he struggled to talk about what happened."I was a toy that he was using," the victim said."My head is pounding now, I'm in so much pain."This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts.Related topicsRoman Catholic ChurchCatholic Church sexual abuse cases