A well-known surf coach with a large social media following has been charged with further child abuse offenses after he allegedly admitted viewing child exploitation material while on bail.
Connor John Christopher Lyons, 26, will spend Christmas behind bars after being arrested for the second time in 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 being released on bail the following day.
Detectives arrested Lyons again on Wednesday and charged him with a further 14 offences, including making child exploitation material, grooming and damaging evidence with intent.
Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard on Thursday that Lyons allegedly accessed and deleted child exploitation material from a device at his mother’s Sunshine Coast home, before moving to his father’s home in Gympie, 85 kilometers away.
Lyons now faces 29 charges in total, allegedly committed against four child victims.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for the most serious crime.
Police prosecutor Tegan Smith alleged in court that Lyons had told police during an interview following his arrest that he had first accessed child abuse material more than a decade ago.
Connor John Christopher Lyons (pictured) faced a total of 29 charges at 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.
Additionally, the prosecutor claimed that Lyons had first recalled abusing children in 2018, leading her to label him a “substantial risk to children,” alphabet reported.
“No matter where he lives… by his own admission he cannot stop this behaviour,” Mrs Smith told the court.
The prosecutor argued that the alleged evidence being gathered against Lyons and the seriousness 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 also filming that abuse against these innocent and vulnerable children,” he said.
“He admitted to watching that over and over again and masturbating to that footage… and then, after receiving the benefit of bail, destroying the evidence he had from those videos.”
The court also heard that Lyons allegedly granted police access to his phone, but did not allow them to search for a computer program, which allegedly had the means to share child abuse material internationally.
As Ms Smith theorized about Lyons’ reasoning for denying officers access, Magistrate Rodney Madsen interrupted the prosecutor and told Lyons: “there is absolutely no chance of you getting bail.”
Lyons had appeared in court via video link from the police guardhouse and was represented by solicitor Bradford Hill.
The police prosecutor claimed Lyons (pictured) had recalled abusing children for the first time in 2018, leading her to label him a “substantial risk to children”.
Hill had argued that his client should be granted bail to allow him to seek “treatment.”
“It would benefit him to begin some form of treatment before he is sentenced… while he is on bail,” Mr Hill said.
He added that Lyons had moved to Gympie and accepted his surf coaching business had “effectively ended”.
Hill proposed that Lyons hand over his Australian passport and not be allowed to access social media, in addition to Monday’s bail conditions which dictated that he would not give surfing lessons to anyone aged 17 or younger.
However, Judge Madsen argued: “No magistrate is likely to impose conditions that would reduce the risk to children.”
“The community can’t be protected from you unless you’re in custody,” he said.
Lyons will appear again in March next year, allowing detectives enough time to search his electronic devices.
Queensland Police asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.