Former Queensland surf coach Connor Lyons jailed for sexually abusing children

An ex-surf coach will be eligible for parole in six months after pleading guilty to 31 child sex offences that occurred across south-east Queensland.

Warning: This story contains details of child sexual abuse.

Peregian Springs resident Connor John Christopher Lyons, 27, represented himself in Maroochydore District Court on Thursday when the sentence was handed down.

Lyons pleaded guilty in May to the charges that included the indecent treatment of children under 16, making and possessing child exploitation material and damaging evidence with intent.

The court heard Lyons committed the offences on eight boys aged seven to 10 between 2022 and 2024 in the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Gold Coast areas.

Vile acts

During sentencing the court heard the acts were committed during surfing lessons, a family holiday and a camping trip.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks said Lyons groomed several victims and was trusted by their families.

"The defendant took one child on a camping trip on the Sunshine Coast where they shared a two-person swag with him, although they had single sleeping bags," Ms Marks said.

She said on two nights Lyons touched the child's genitals while the boy was asleep.

In a separate incident, Lyons accompanied a family on a holiday, during which he assaulted a 10-year-old while trying to hold the boy down.

Lyons was arrested in December last year.

The court heard after he was granted bail on December 16, 2024, Lyons destroyed evidence of child exploitation material before the execution of a search warrant on December 18.

"On the date the police conducted a search warrant of his home, the defendant made admissions he had deleted the videos — he also went further to making admissions to using his laptop and mobile phone," Ms Marks said.

"He also made admissions to accessing child exploitation material."

'Suffering nightmares'

In summarising the victim impact statements, Ms Marks said the defendant's actions had caused significant trauma for the victims and their families.

"One victim impact statement makes reference to how he [Lyons] had made him feel … and the innocence of not understanding what the defendant was doing to him and how it has broken something inside him," Ms Marks told the court.

Ms Marks cited another statement in referencing a struggle to focus in school.

"A number of the children are now obtaining psychological assistance to assist them through the trauma they've experienced and for the parents that have suffered alongside their children," she said.

"What was taken from them cannot be returned, the trauma will follow them long into their future and the consequences of the crimes did not end when the abuse stopped."

Lyons read a letter in court apologising to the victims of his crimes.

"I understand the effect of my crimes and the effects it has had on the victims' families and wider community — I take full responsibility for what my actions have caused," he said.

"I accept the court will order that I complete the appropriate courses to further help my release into the community and be a valuable member of the community."

When handing down his sentence Judge Glen Cash said he took into consideration Lyons's cooperation.

"As you must know your crimes are serious and as a community we will not tolerate those who predate on children for the purpose of sexual pleasure," Judge Cash said.

"It is especially egregious in this case that there is [sic] families that trusted you with their children and you betrayed that trust by the abuse which we have heard described."

Lyons was sentenced to five years in prison.

He is required to serve at least one third of the sentence and has already spent more than 350 days in custody.

He will be eligible for parole in June next year.