Today, Bishop Emeritus Christopher Saunders, 76, of Broome was convicted
of 13 homosexual offences against two young Indigenous men in Western
Australia.
A jury in the District Court of Western Australia
found Saunders guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and one count of
sexual penetration without consent.
The jury acquitted him on six other charges.
The offences for which Saunders was convicted occurred between 2008 and 2019, while he was serving as Bishop of Broome.
Saunders was also convicted of offences against a second man, including sexual penetration without consent.
The jury deliberated for approximately seven hours before returning the verdicts.
Earlier
in the trial, the judge instructed the jury that it was not necessary
to return verdicts on seven charges and to disregard them because there
was insufficient evidence to convict.
Saunders pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the allegations. He did not give evidence during the trial.
He is due to face a sentencing hearing on September 21.
Saunders
served as Bishop of Broome from 1996 until his resignation in 2021. He
had stepped aside from the governance of the diocese in 2020.
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