Former Australian Catholic bishop jailed for sexually abusing young Indigenous men

A former Australian Catholic bishop was sentenced Wednesday to six and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men in Western Australia.

Christopher Saunders, 76, the former Bishop of Broome, was sentenced by the District Court of Western Australia after being convicted of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault, according to Australian public broadcaster ABC.

Saunders, once one of Australia's most senior and longest-serving Catholic clerics, will be eligible for parole in February 2031.

The offenses were committed against two young Aboriginal men in Western Australia's remote Kimberley region, including at Saunders' church-owned residence in Broome and another property known as the "beach house," ABC reported.

During sentencing, Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders had disregarded his victims' right to make their own choices about their bodies.

In a statement read by the judge, one victim said he had felt like "a toy" being used by Saunders.

Saunders was ordained a priest in 1976 and became bishop of Broome in 1996, serving for 25 years.

Allegations against him emerged publicly in 2020, prompting a police investigation that initially ended without charges.

Police later reopened their investigation after a Vatican-ordered inquiry into the allegations.

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, apologized to the victims Wednesday, saying their trust had been "profoundly betrayed by a leader of the Church."