Snapchat child groomer Jaydon Beveridge has sentence slashed

The son of a pro basketball coach has had his punishment for grooming two girls online significantly reduced. Read what led the judge to his decision.

Jaydon Beveridge (left), who was previously convicted of grooming minors online, with his father, former NBL coach Rob Beveridge. Picture: Facebook

Disgraced junior basketball coach Jaydon Beveridge who groomed two minors on Snapchat has succeeded in having his punishment cut in half on appeal in Wollongong District Court.

The son of highly-regarded former NBL coach Rob Beveridge was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court, last year, to a three-year community correction order after pleading guilty to inciting a minor to commit an act of indecency and intentionally inciting a minor to carry out a sexual act.

The 24-year-old was also ordered to complete 750 hours of community service.

However, Beveridge fronted a District Court appeal hearing on Tuesday, supported by his father, where Judge Christopher O‘Brien slashed the CCO to 18 months and reduced the required amount of community service down to a 120 hours.

Documents previously tendered in court indicated Beveridge added a girl between the ages of 14 and 16 on Snapchat in the first half of 2017.

Beveridge sent the minor messages such as “Morning sunshine” along with love heart emojis while asking her to send him a picture of herself.

On one occasion, Beveridge sent the minor a Snap of him standing with an erect penis with the caption “Show me more”.

Jaydon Beveridge leaving Wollongong Local Court in 2022. Picture: Dylan Arvela

He responded to her reply by sending a Snap of him masturbating.

In the days following, there was another exchange which concluded with Beveridge sending the girl a video of him ejaculating in his bathroom.

Beveridge added the second victim, who was also between the age of 14 and 16, on Snapchat in 2019.

He would call her “Sunshine” and “Princess” before asking her to send ”sneaky pics” which made the victim uncomfortable.

“What are you wearing,” Beveridge said on one occasion with the girl sending him a picture in a bra and pants to which he replied “nice”.

The second victim blocked Beveridge on Snapchat in early 2020.

Later that year, NSW Basketball conducted an investigation into formal complaints about Beveridge who told them he had deleted anyone under the age of 18 on social media and that his actions were “inappropriate”.

Beveridge, who is now a traffic controller, also told investigators he “regretted” what he had done while describing it as a “wake-up call to conduct himself a lot more maturely”.

Detectives from the Wollongong Police District searched the then 21-year-old’s home where they seized electronic devices for forensic examination and soon after he was arrested at Wollongong Command.

In court on Tuesday, Beveridge‘s barrister, Kellie Stares, said her client had been “on bail without incident” in the nearly three years since the offending.

Ms Stairs told the court Beveridge was planning to move to Perth where his father is working.

Jaydon Beveridge was a junior basketball coach. Picture: Facebook

She said when he gets to the western seaboard he intends on “working in the mines”.

The barrister argued the supervision and amount of community service imposed on Beveridge “did not serve any utility” and the magnitude would not deter others from offending.

“[The amount of community service] is not likely to be a deterrent for someone in the community if they are going to send a message asking for nude images,” Ms Stares submitted.

“Whether that is 100 hours or 400 hours.”

Judge O‘Brien said Beveridge had shown “gross immaturity” and a “lack of cognitive development” in committing the offences, however, he felt he had “suffered a good deal as a result”.

“There is no bright line that identifies maturity in a young person,” the judge said.

“Where maturity plays a role in young offending, particularly regarding young men, all the science seems to suggest their brains don’t develop too rapidly.

“There should be a considerable reduction in the terms of the community correction order. He has effectively been under judicial supervision in one form or another for three years in terms of his bail.”

Judge O’Brien upheld the order Beveridge continue psychological treatment for as long as his psychologist sees fit.