Chris Cranny: Cricket coach who groomed teen boys ‘exploring chemical castration’

Chris Cranny admitted to supplying two teen boys with alcohol, showing three of them porn and discussing sexual topics with them.

An Illawarra cricket coach and primary school teacher who groomed three teenage boys has been jailed for 14 months.

Chris Cranny, 31, faced Wollongong Local Court on Monday, where he was sentenced to three years jail with a non-parole period of 14 months by Magistrate Claire Girotto, who labelled his actions as an abuse of power.

“Cranny is a person of previous good character but it is that character that put him the position he is in and allowed him to act in this way,” she said.

“A message must be sent to people who abuse children that their actions won’t be tolerated and they will receive serious punishment.”

Cranny’s sentence comes just three days after his lawyer Aaron Kernagahan told the court that his client had an upcoming appointment with an endocrinologist to explore the option of chemical castration, which can reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal.

The castration comments came after Cranny told police he had a “disorder” related to adolescent boys from the ages of 14 to 17.

In an agreed set of facts tendered to the court, it was revealed Cranny told police that while he didn’t want to have sex with them, he did sexualise them “in a way that he gets curious about seeing them naked”.

The 31-year-old said he had been fighting “urges” for years, and that he had rationalised his behaviour as “being okay” because he didn’t physically touch them.

Cranny pleaded guilty to 12 charges late in 2020, including three counts of groom child over under 16 for unlawful sexual activity, two counts of aggravated indecency victim under 16 and six counts of committing aggravated sexual act on child between 10 and 16.

Chris Cranny looked downcast as he arrived at Wollongong Courthouse on February 5, 2021. Picture: Madeline Crittenden.

While the nature of many of the charges are too graphic to repeat, Cranny admitted to supplying two of the boys with alcohol, showing three of them pornographic material and discussing highly sexual topics with them.

He also admitted he became “obsessive” over one of the boys, and became jealous and possessive when he got a girlfriend.

After his arrest, Cranny told police he was “ashamed, remorseful” and acknowledged he needed help.

On Monday, the court heard Cranny started forming an attraction to teen boys when he was 19-years-old, and that his abuse of the victims escalated over a period of time.

“In his favour he has undertaken significant steps toward rehabilitation,” Magistrate Girotto said.

“I’m satisfied he has shown deep remorse to his victims and his shame for his actions is clear.”

Cranny will be eligible for release from jail in April 2022.