00:02Christopher Saunders, a former Catholic bishop, now known as a convicted sex offender, was
00:07sentenced here today in the WA District Court. It was judgment day for a man once known as
00:13one of the holiest men in Western Australia and the nation. For a quarter of a century,
00:17he served as the Bishop of Broome, one of the most senior Catholic clergymen in the
00:22country. And in August, two months ago, he walked into this court behind us here where
00:27he was convicted of 13 sexual offences against two young Aboriginal men in the Kimberley
00:33region while he was in power. That day, walking into this court will be the last time in a
00:38while which Saunders will be able to walk as a free man after District Court Judge Martin
00:42Flynn today sentenced him to six and a half years jail for his crimes. He'll be eligible
00:48for parole after four and a half years. And by that time, Saunders will be in his 80s.
00:52He's 67 years old this year. And Judge Flynn did take into account his age when handing
01:00down the sentence today in court. Another thing the judge noted were character references which
01:05people who knew Christopher Saunders put forward. They noted his efforts and achievements in the
01:11Kimberley region as a Catholic minister, his work as a bishop up in the region. But the judge
01:17did say that he wouldn't take into account those character references because Saunders standing as
01:23a bishop, the resources available to him contributed to the circumstances which allowed for his
01:28offending. He used his position as a bishop, as a mentor for many of the young Aboriginal men up in
01:34the Kimberley region in order to take advantage of these two young Aboriginal men. Now, Saunders was
01:40largely emotionless while this sentencing was handed down. And he was when he was convicted two months
01:47ago as well. Judge Flynn did read it from part of an impact, a victim impact statement from one of
01:53the victims who spoke about his want to move on from this experience. But he said he was unable to,
02:00that he couldn't get these experiences out of his head. So while this sentencing today marks the end of
02:06what's been a very lengthy process, the impact of Saunders actions, his offending, his crimes, his,
02:13uh, his taking advantage of two young victims in the Kimberley region, those impacts will continue to endure.
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