A well-known surf coach with a huge social media following has been charged with additional child abuse crimes after he allegedly admitted to watching child exploitation material while out on bail.
Connor John Christopher Lyons, 26, will spend Christmas behind bars after he was arrested for the second time within three days on Wednesday.
He was initially arrested on Sunday and charged with 12 counts of indecent treatment of children on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast before he was released on bail the following day.
Detectives arrested Lyons again on Wednesday and charged him with another 14 offences, including making child exploitation material, grooming, and damaging evidence with intent.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Thursday heard that Lyons allegedly accessed and deleted child exploitation material from a device at his mother’s Sunshine Coast house, before relocating to his father’s home in Gympie 85km away.
Lyons now faces 29 charges in total, allegedly committed against four child victims.
He faces a maximum of sentence of 20 years for the most serious offence.
Police prosecutor Tegan Smith alleged in court that Lyons had told police during an interview following his arrest he had first accessed child abuse material more than a decade ago.
Connor John Christopher Lyons (pictured) faced a total of 29 charges in Maroochydore Magistrates Court
Lyons (pictured) was released on bail on Monday but was arrested again on Wednesday and denied bail
Lyons (pictured) was released on bail on Monday but was arrested again on Wednesday and denied bail
Further, the prosecutor claimed Lyons had recalled first abusing children as early as 2018, prompting her to label him a ‘substantial risk to children’, the ABC reported.
‘It does not matter where he lives … by his own admission, he cannot stop this behaviour,’ Ms Smith told the court.
The prosecutor argued the alleged evidence being compiled against Lyons and the serious nature of his charges indicated his alleged crimes were ‘substantially worse’ than initially thought following his release on bail on Monday.
‘He has admitted to not only abusing these children, but filming that abuse against these innocent and vulnerable children,’ she said.
‘He has admitted to watching that over and over and masturbating to that material … and then, after being given the benefit of bail, destroying that evidence that he’s had of those videos.’
The court also heard Lyons allegedly granted police access to his phone but wouldn’t allow them to search a computer program, which allegedly had the means to share child abuse material internationally.
As Ms Smith theorised on Lyons’ reasoning for denying officers access, Magistrate Rodney Madsen cut the prosecutor short and told Lyons, ‘there is absolutely no chance of you getting bail’.
Lyons had fronted the court via videolink from the police watchhouse and was represented by solicitor Bradford Hill.
Police prosecutor claimed Lyons (pictured) had recalled first abusing children as early as 2018, prompting her to label him a ‘substantial risk to children’
Mr Hill had argued his client should be granted bail to allow him to seek ‘treatment’.
‘It would benefit him to commence some sort of treatment prior to being sentenced … whilst on bail,’ Mr Hill said.
He added Lyons had relocated to Gympie and accepted his surf coaching business was ‘effectively over’.
Mr Hill proposed Lyons surrender his Australian passport and not be allowed to access social media, in addition to bail conditions on Monday which dictated he not give surf lessons to anyone aged 17 or younger.
However, Magistrate Madsen alleged: ‘There are probably no conditions that could be imposed by any magistrate that could reduce the risk to children.’
‘The community cannot be protected from you unless you are in custody,’ he said.
Lyons is set to front court again in March next year, allowing detectives adequate time to search his electronic devices.
Queensland Police asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.
