Queensland surfing coach to plead guilty to child sex abuse charges
Connor Lyons was first arrested in December last year. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Kirra Grimes)
In short:
A Queensland surfing coach has indicated he will plead guilty to dozens of child sex abuse charges.
He appeared briefly in court on the Sunshine Coast today via audio-visual link, where his lawyer discharged himself.
What's next?
A committal hearing will be held in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Thursday this week.
A Queensland surfing coach accused of indecently assaulting children is set to plead guilty to dozens of charges.
Connor John Christopher Lyons, 26, was initially arrested on the Sunshine Coast in December and charged with 12 counts of indecently assaulting children, and three counts of wilful exposure.
Police alleged those incidents involved two boys on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast over a 14-month period beginning August 2023.
He was then arrested again later that same week and charged with a further 14 offences, including making child exploitation material, grooming and damaging evidence with intent.
Mr Lyons is now facing 29 charges in total, which relate to four alleged child victims.
The most serious of the charges carries a maximum 20 years in prison.
Guilty plea to be entered
In the Maroochydore Magistrates Court today, Mr Lyons appeared briefly via audio-visual link from custody.
The court heard Mr Lyons intended to represent himself in the case and his solicitor Bradford Hill sought leave to discharge himself, which was granted.
Mr Lyons then said he wanted to plead guilty to the charges.
The accused told the court he had received the police brief of evidence.
The case will return to court for a committal hearing later this week.
The 26-year-old was initially granted bail but has been remanded in custody since the second arrest. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Kirra Grimes)
Exploitation material allegedly deleted
Police earlier alleged that following Mr Lyons's initial arrest in December, he then accessed and deleted child exploitation material from a device at his mother's house on the Sunshine Coast.
Police told the court in December last year Mr Lyons admitted to deleting the child exploitation material, as well as a number of other offences, during a subsequent police interview.
The court also heard allegations from police that Mr Lyons admitted to having accessed child pornography online for more than a decade.
Police prosecutor Tegan Smith alleged the accused first indecently dealt with children in 2018.
Ms Smith told the court Mr Lyons had also admitted to abusing children, filming the abuse and then re-watching it.
Police previously urged anyone with any further information on the case to come forward.