Former Australian bishop Christopher Saunders has been jailed for sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men during his time as a Catholic cleric. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
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."
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