A former Catholic bishop invited an Indigenous teen to his home for a barbecue and then inappropriately touched him, a jury has been told.
The former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders is on trial in WA’s District Court for allegedly sexually abusing three young Aboriginal men between 2008 and 2017. One of the men was alleged to have been underage at the time the abuse began, and carried on until he was eventually jailed.
Prosecutor Adam Ebell has previously claimed the 76-year-old had an attraction to young Aboriginal men, and would hold shirts-off parties at Catholic Church-owned properties around the Kimberley where he would supply alcohol and cigarettes.
Defence lawyer Tony Hager has argued the three men could have colluded about their allegations in prison, in an effort to “stitch the bishop up”.
It is the second week of the bishop’s trial, which is set down for three weeks.
On Thursday, an Aboriginal man who cannot be named for legal reasons told the court that he went to the bishop’s Broome home with a group of other young men for a barbecue when he was a teenager.
The man is not a complainant in the matter, but has been called by the prosecution to provide evidence about his own interactions with the bishop.
“He told all of us to take off our shirts, and we took off our shirts,” he said.
“There were things happening at the house at that time.
“The bishop sexually interacted with and groomed us.”
The man, then 18, said Saunders gave the youths cans of whiskey and Coca-Cola, and that he was also drinking alcohol.
The bishop allegedly invited the teen to sit next to him and then placed his right foot on his crotch area.
“I was in the area where all the boys sit and have drinks,” he said.
“His foot was close to my private parts and in between my thighs.
“He said: ‘You’re alright, brother ... kick back and enjoy the drinks’.”
The man, now 30, alleged that Saunders rubbed his foot against his penis through his clothing for about two and a half minutes.
“[Then] I got up and said I had to use the toilet,” he said.
“That was my excuse to get out and get away from him; I wasn’t going to let him do that again.
“When I came back, I did not sit in the same spot.
“I stayed well away from harm’s way.”
Hager drilled into the man’s criminal record, which included convictions for assault and drug possession. He also asked questions about his use of drugs and alcohol and whether it had impacted his memory.
“I wasn’t an alcoholic; I had a few drinks, and that’s it,” the man said.
He also denied smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol before going to the bishop’s house.
Prosecutors have alleged Saunders put on alcohol-fuelled parties using church funds to get access to Aboriginal boys and men so he could sexually assault them.
The trial continues.
- with Hannah Murphy