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Courts / Broome, WA

WA court releases new video of former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders grooming a young male

7NEWS
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  • New video of the former Bishop of Broome grooming a young Aboriginal man has been released by a Perth court.
  • In August, a jury found Saunders guilty of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault following a trial in the District Court of Western Australia.
  • The newly-released recordings show not the offences which Saunders was convicted of but what the state says is evidence of his grooming behaviour.
  • Prosecutor Adam Ebell said Saunders had abused his power, with the two victims 40 years his junior.
  • The bishop’s behaviour on the newly released tapes was captured during a time Saunders knew he was under investigation.

5 sentences from our version of the report, chosen to cover it. Nothing here is written; every line is in the article below. How

Christopher Saunders was secretly recorded, with the vision made public as he waits to learn his fate.

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New video of the former Bishop of Broome grooming a young Aboriginal man has been released by a Perth court.

Christopher Saunders, 76, was secretly recorded, with the vision made public as he waits to learn his fate.

In August, a jury found Saunders guilty of one count of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of unlawful and indecent assault following a trial in the District Court of Western Australia.

After more than five weeks in a maximum security prison, he was back in court for a sentencing hearing on Monday.

In the tapes, a half-naked Saunders drinks with a young man, touching his feet and between his legs.

The newly-released recordings show not the offences which Saunders was convicted of but what the state says is evidence of his grooming behaviour.

The vision was evidence in Saunders’ conviction.

Prosecutor Adam Ebell said Saunders had abused his power, with the two victims 40 years his junior.

Saunders’ lawyer argued against a “crushing sentence”, saying the bishop had already suffered “a loss of standing in community” and “a fall from grace”.

He also claimed the bishop had been providing “pastoral care”, but the judge responded at that.

Saunders’ conviction came after a four-year 7NEWS investigation.

When police hauled the bishop in for questioning, they sent officers into his empty home to install covert cameras.

The bishop’s behaviour on the newly released tapes was captured during a time Saunders knew he was under investigation.

The man who was once Australia’s most senior Catholic has spent the past five weeks in a maximum security prison.

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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7NEWSas they published this story 13.5 9 41 0.1 43.1
Mundane Readneutralized from 7NEWS 9 7 41 -0.3 43.1

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