- Daniel James Stoneman charged with sexual crimes
- They include four charges of alleged rape.
- He was granted bail at a court hearing on Wednesday.
A Queensland musician charged with 52 offences, including sexual assault, after allegedly connecting with women over the internet, will spend his first night in his own bed three months after his arrest.
Police allege Daniel James Stoneman, 34, committed the offences after using dating apps and other platforms to connect with women in the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas between 2019 and 2023.
The Queensland wedding singer was charged with 18 sexual assaults and related offences in March and April this year after a search warrant was executed at his Logan home in March.
Following further investigations, police charged Stoneman with 34 additional charges in May, including 24 counts of distributing intimate images, four counts of rape and one count each of attempted rape, strangulation, recording in breach of privacy and unlawful stalking.
No plea has been entered.
The prosecution will argue in court that at least eight different women filed complaints, four of them alleging that they were raped and six of them alleging that their images were distributed without their consent.
Stoneman applied for bail in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday.
His lawyer, Craig Eberhardt KC, told the court that his client had “been unable to cope” with his pre-trial detention, which had been detrimental to his mental health.
The court was also told that two of the alleged victims knew Stoneman was filming them and that one of them was even allegedly encouraged by him to send the video to other people.
Mr Eberhardt said that while the charges relating to the distribution of images were not the focus of the bail application, he said the court must consider whether the complainant was “distressed at all”.
Mr Eberhardt said that since one of the complainants had shared the video with others, Mr Stoneman’s “state of mind” at the time of spreading the material was not “bad” as he believed she had no problem with it due to her own actions.
Judge Bradley said he found the argument that the alleged offence was “less serious” because the woman had sent the same video to someone else “clearly unappealing”.
‘Are we back in a world where we say that if a woman has sex with someone, raping her is not that bad?
‘You would expect that what was usually done to women in the 1950s would not be highlighted.’
Mr Eberhardt said during his argument he was not trying to suggest the woman was at fault, but that the Crown would have to successfully demonstrate the level of distress the complainant had suffered as a result of the dissemination of the video.
“It is very difficult to say whether these issues will be discussed or not,” he said.
At least eight women reported being assaulted by Stoneman (pictured)
Stoneman was granted bail at a court hearing on Wednesday.
Mr Eberhardt said Stoneman would agree to strict bail conditions, including a curfew and telling prosecutors when he planned to enter into a “non-platonic” relationship.
I would also agree to not use social media or dating apps, as well as hire a counselor to learn about relationships.
The prosecution opposed the request for bail.
The prosecutor said there were risks to women in the community if Stoneman was granted bail even if she was not allowed to use dating apps.
She said she was worried that “he might meet women in the real world.”
“What risk is reduced if I tell my office?” he asked.
‘Meet women in the real world and that’s where the risk lies.’
Judge Bradley granted Stoneman bail under strict conditions.
He is not allowed to leave his house unless supervised by his parents or until he has made an appointment with a counselor.
