Connor John Christopher Lyons to represent himself in child sex case

Facing serious allegations of child sex offences against four young boys, a Sunshine Coast surf coach has told his lawyer he will go it alone in court.

Connor John Christopher Lyons leaves Maroochydore Court House. Picture: Patrick Woods.

A Sunshine Coast surf instructor accused of multiple child sex offences will represent himself in court, his lawyer told the court while seeking to withdraw from the case.

Connor John Christopher Lyons, a well-known surfer and coach originally from Toowoomba, was first arrested in December 2024 following an investigation into alleged child sex crimes. He was initially charged with 12 counts of indecent treatment of children and three counts of wilful exposure.

Days after being granted bail, Lyons was arrested again and hit with 14 additional charges, including a further four counts of indecent treatment of children, two counts of grooming, two counts of making child exploitation material, two counts of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, two counts of wilful exposure, one count of possessing child exploitation material, and an additional charge of damaging evidence with intent.

He was denied bail after his second arrest.

Connor John Christopher Lyons leaves Maroochydore Court House after his first arrest in December 2024. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The alleged offences occurred on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast and involved four boys, two under the age of 16 and two under 12.

Lyons has yet to enter pleas to any of the charges.

During a court appearance on Monday, Bradford Hill from BJH Law told the court he had received instructions from Lyons that he wished to proceed without legal representation.

“I received a call from Mr Lyons on Friday saying he wishes to be self-represented,” Mr Hill said.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan appeared surprised by the decision, noting the seriousness of the charges.

Mr Hill agreed, suggesting Lyons may reconsider his decision as the case progresses.

“I am seeking leave to withdraw,” he told the court.

Connor John Christopher Lyons. Picture: Instagram

A formal application for withdrawal will be made on April 7, with Lyons appearing via video link.

Court documents tendered during Lyons’ second bail application in December 2024 outlined findings from a police investigation by the Noosa Child Protection Investigation Unit.

During a raid, officers allegedly discovered a laptop containing a program used for secure file transfer, storage, and distribution. A search of the laptop’s internet history reportedly revealed searches for child exploitation material.

According to the documents, the 26-year-old also allegedly admitted to accessing child exploitation material frequently since his teenage years, including as recently as December last year.

Connor Lyons competed in the World Surf League and ran his own surf school on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Instagram

Investigators further allege Lyons filmed his own offending and stored the material on an external hard drive. An analysis of his laptop reportedly uncovered links to child exploitation literature and a video of a naked child getting changed.

Bail objection documents stated Lyons allegedly told police he would “get off” or masturbate to the material and videos.

He allegedly confessed to deleting the footage after being released on bail.

Police also alleged Lyons admitted to offending against children in while on a trip to China.

They further alleged that he exposed himself to children on multiple occasions, reportedly telling detectives he did so to “see if they were interested in sexual activity” and to “desensitise” them.

Connor John Christopher Lyons leaves Maroochydore Court House after his first arrest in December 2024. Picture: Patrick Woods.

When asked by police if he considered his actions to be grooming, he allegedly responded, “yes.”

Prosecutors argued Lyons posed a significant risk to the community, with police alleging he could not control his urges.

Magistrate Rod Madsen ultimately denied bail, stating there was “absolutely no chance” of release, as no conditions could adequately reduce the risk Lyons posed to children.

Lyons, who previously ran a surf school and amassed more than 9,000 followers on Instagram before his account was deleted, remains in custody.