Trial opens for Australian bishop accused of abusing young aboriginal men

The trial of an Australian bishop opened this week in the District Court of Western Australia in Perth, where the 76-year-old faces 26 charges of sexual offenses against three young aboriginal men.

Bishop Christopher Saunders led the remote Diocese of Broome in Australia’s northwest from 1996 until his resignation in 2021 . He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which range from indecent assault to sexual penetration without consent, reported the West Australian newspaper.

The incidents allegedly took place between 2008 and 2017, while he was bishop. Saunders has consistently maintained his innocence.

In his opening address, state prosecutor Adam Ebell alleged that Saunders hosted parties for young aboriginal men at Church-owned properties across the Kimberley region, using what he described as a “seemingly endless supply of alcohol and cigarettes” purchased with Church funds, according to Australian court reporting by the ABC and WAtoday .

The court heard that the first complainant was 16 when he met Saunders and that the bishop allegedly groomed him with gifts before abusing him at properties including the bishop’s residence in Broome, a hotel in Kununurra, and the…