(AUSTRALIA)
WAtoday [East Perth, Western Australia]
July 30, 2026
By Aaron Bunch
A former Catholic bishop invited an Indigenous teen to his home for a barbecue and then inappropriately touched him, a jury has been told.
The former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders is on trial in WA’s District Court for allegedly sexually abusing three young Aboriginal men between 2008 and 2017. One of the men was alleged to have been underage at the time the abuse began, and carried on until he was eventually jailed.
Prosecutor Adam Ebell has previously claimed the 76-year-old had an attraction to young Aboriginal men, and would hold shirts-off parties at Catholic Church-owned properties around the Kimberley where he would supply alcohol and cigarettes.
Defence lawyer Tony Hager has argued the three men could have colluded about their allegations in prison, in an effort to “stitch the bishop up”.
It is the second week of the bishop’s trial, which is set down for three weeks.
On Thursday, an Aboriginal man who cannot be named for legal reasons told the court that he went to the bishop’s Broome home with a group of other young men for a barbecue when he was a teenager.
The man is not a complainant in the matter, but has been called by the prosecution to provide evidence about his own interactions with the bishop.
“He told all of us to take off our shirts, and we took off our shirts,” he said.
“There were things happening at the house at that time.
“The bishop sexually interacted with and groomed us.”
The man, then 18, said Saunders gave the youths cans of whiskey and Coca-Cola, and that he was also drinking alcohol.
The bishop allegedly invited the teen to sit next to him and then placed his right foot on his crotch area.
“I was in the area where all the boys sit and have drinks,” he said.
“There were things happening at the house at that time.
“The bishop sexually interacted with and groomed us.”
The man, then 18, said Saunders gave the youths cans of whiskey and Coca-Cola, and that he was also drinking alcohol.
The bishop allegedly invited the teen to sit next to him and then placed his right foot on his crotch area.
“I was in the area where all the boys sit and have drinks,” he said.
- with Hannah Murphy