Sunshine Coast QS Competitor And Surf Coach Under Investigation For Child Sexual Assault
Connor Lyons faces 12 charges of indecent treatment of children and three charges of wilful exposure.
Update: Today, detectives from the Sunshine Coast Child Protection Investigation Unit have laid an additional 14 charges against Connor Lyons. After a police search on a Gympie property yesterday, Lyons has been slapped with two more counts of indecent treatment of children (bringing the total to four), two counts of making child exploitation material, two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, two counts of wilful exposure, two counts of grooming children under 16, and one count each of possessing child exploitation material and damaging evidence with intent.
Connor Lyons, a QS competitor and surf coach from the Sunshine Coast has managed to secure bail after being accused of sexually assaulting two children. At 26, Lyons now faces charges of 12 counts of indecent treatment of children, three counts of wilful exposure, and a slew of related offences.
According to The Courier Mail, Lyons is starring down accusations of a 14-month spree of misdeeds that stretched from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast — with two separate victims, both minors who didn’t know each other, coming forward independently.
Both victims felt his touch was anything but incidental, reporting discomfort and demanding he stop. The details aren’t pretty, so if you’ve got a weak stomach, you might want to look away.
Documents tendered to the court for Lyons’ bail hearing on Monday revealed that police allege the surf instructor took liberties he had no right to — including exposing his penis to both children, bathing with them, molesting them, and then strong arming them into a naked massage. Both alleged victims made complaints about their surf coach within a two-day span in mid-December.
Somehow, in the midst of it all, Lyons’ Instagram account still stands. A quick browse with ignorant eyes reveals a picture of a man passionate about surfing and his work. Now, it just leaves a sickening taste in the mouth — something rotten and wrong; a glimpse into the darkness lurking behind his energy and passion for his work.
Promises of kids-only camps, energetic self-promotion of his school holiday program, and Christmas giveaway packages that include ‘hot choc and croissants’ after sessions — boasting a “safe space” for kids to train with him — now reveal something deeply unsettling.
In the midst of a gender-based violence crisis in Australia — where over 40 women have been victims to domestic homicide by partners or ex-partners this year alone, including 11 in just 16 days in November — this news forces tough conversations about trust and the cost of betrayal. Connor, once regarded as a respected young man — successful, talented, ranked 48th on the QS last season — now finds himself at the heart of allegations that have shaken the surf community.
Many notable surfers have taken to his Instagram to vent their disgust, including Jacob Willcox, who, on Lyons’ latest post, typed: “Leave the kids alone and get some help ASAP.”
Despite police arguing that Lyons bears too much risk to the community, The ABC reported that he walked out with bail under strict conditions: no public contact, banned from public haunts, and three check-ins a week with police. Additionally, as if it had to be stipulated: no coaching kids under 17. Lyons told Acting Magistrate Raelene Ellis he’d stick to the rules. Ms. Ellis granted bail, and the case got kicked to next year with no pleas entered.
As Lyons left the courthouse, reporters swarmed him for a comment. To Seven News, he stated, “I’ll be continuing to run my online business for students over the age of 18.”
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