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One of the nation’s highest-ranking Catholics allegedly plied young Aboriginal boys with alcohol, made them strip off and sexually abused them at Catholic Church-owned properties across outback Western Australia, a court has heard.
Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, appeared in WA’s District Court on Wednesday, for the first day of his trial on 26 sexual abuse charges against three young Aboriginal men, ranging from indecent assault to sexual penetration without consent.
The incidents were alleged to have taken place between 2008 and 2017, when Saunders was the Bishop of Broome, in WA’s Kimberley region. Saunders has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and has long maintained his innocence.
The 76-year-old was dressed in an all-black suit on the first day of his trial, with a white vicar collar. He had a crucifix brooch on the lapel of his suit.
Originally from Victoria, Saunders was first ordained as a priest in 1976 and moved to Western Australia’s far northern outback where he worked for the Diocese of Broome.
On Tuesday, the court was told Saunders was known for his work in remote Aboriginal communities and was named as the Bishop of Broome in 1995. He had been in the role for two decades when allegations about his conduct began to swirl and police launched an investigation.
The subsequent charges made Saunders one of Australia’s most senior Catholic clerics to be charged with sexual abuse, second to only late Cardinal George Pell, who was ultimately acquitted by the High Court of Australia.
In court on Wednesday, state prosecutor Adam Ebell revealed for the first time the specifics of Saunders’ charges, alleging he had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men.
“The accused had a propensity to act on that sexual interest when the opportunity presented itself,” he told the court.
“And that opportunity did present itself.”
Saunders allegedly hosted alcohol-fuelled parties during his time as a priest at his properties around the Kimberley, the court was told, often enforcing a strict dress code where he would mandate that young Aboriginal men had to strip their shirts off to attend.
He provided cigarettes and food – all allegedly paid for by the Catholic Church.
Alcohol, strictly regulated in the Kimberley due to its festering impact on communities, was often also served on the church’s dime.
Ebell told the court that, at these parties, Saunders would use boxing and wrestling as a way to excuse physical contact with the men.
All three complainants are Aboriginal men, now in their early 30s.
The first complainant was 16 years old when he was first introduced to the bishop during a visit with other boys to his home – known in Broome as the Bishop’s House – on Robinson Street.
Ebell told the court the boy was with a group of other young men when he attended the house for a party, and the bishop was known by the group as “Brother B”.
He sat around drinking and smoking with the group when Saunders reached out and is alleged to have told the boy he knew his father, who had since died.
“This meant a lot to him,” Ebell told the court.
The boy was a devout Catholic and originally from the remote northern community of Kalumburu.
Kalumburu is a deeply religious community and is inaccessible during the wet season due to flooding, meaning the bishop frequently used the church-funded plane to get in and out of the region.
It was also for this reason, Ebell told the court, that the boy entirely trusted Saunders, and saw him as a figure of authority.
The court was told the boy subsequently became a frequent visitor to Saunders’ properties across the Kimberley, and the bishop allegedly began to groom him by buying him clothes, food and cigarettes.
Over time, Saunders allegedly began to sexually assault the boy at properties owned by the Catholic Church, including his home, at a Kununurra hotel room, on the Kalumburu Mission and at “Bethlehem Retreat” on Riddell Beach.
The alleged behaviour was ongoing for the boy from the age of 16 and only ended when he turned 19.
Ebell told the court that, over time, the young man would tell Saunders to stop and push him away, but Saunders would persist.
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