FORMER BISHOP FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUALLY ABUSING TWO YOUNG MEN

PERTH, AUGUST 13 /SRNA/ – An Australian jury has found former Catholic bishop Christopher Saunders, known for hosting house parties where large quantities of alcohol were consumed, guilty of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men, AP reports.

A jury at the District Court of Western Australia found 76-year-old Christopher Saunders guilty on 13 of 19 charges of sexual abuse allegedly committed between 2008 and 2019 in his diocese on the country's northwest coast.

Prosecutors said he lured young Indigenous men to a church-owned house with free alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. The house rules required guests, who were exclusively male, to remove their shirts.

Saunders was acquitted on six charges, which included allegations involving a third victim, as well as indecently dealing with a child over the age of 16.

Although the age of consent for sexual activity in Australia is 16, the law raises it to 18 when the older person's position involves trust, power or responsibility.