Lionel Coombs: Former real estate agent sentenced for breaching reporting obligations

A former real estate agent who was jailed after attempting to groom an 11-year-old and her mother has broken the law once more, this time for breaching a court order.

A former real estate agent who spent six months behind bars after attempting to groom what he thought was an 11-year-old girl and her mother has found himself back before court.

Ryde man Lionel Coombs, 54, was sentenced at Hornsby Local Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to failing to comply with reporting obligations under the Child Protection Act.

The once high-flying real estate agent’s fall from grace began in September 2019, when he was charged with grooming and later pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.

Since then he has declared bankruptcy and traded striking property deals with working in a warehouse for Booktopia, the court heard.

Coombs’ double life — striking property deals by day and hunting for kids on the internet by night — was sprung when child abuse detectives from Strike Force Trawler investigated the 54-year-old and pretended to be the 11-year-old girl and 34-year-old mother.

Lionel Coombs (left) outside Hornsby Local Court.

At his sentence hearing Coombs’ barrister Michael Smith told the court the former real estate agent’s actions were a fantasy which then morphed beyond that when he offered to meet.

“I’ll pop round for coffee to make a home visit,” the court head Coombs say in one message.

Coombs was once a successful real estate agent.

Coombs (left) leaving Downing Centre Court in 2020. Picture: Joel Carrett

Coombs also went under the username “BadDaddy4Girls” and stated he was “looking for something real not fantasy”.

On Wednesday Hornsby Local Court heard Coombs was placed on the registry when he was released from prison in 2021.

In June, Coombs breached his reporting obligations for the first time by failing to organise his annual report.

“When informed of missing his annual report, Coombs apologised (to police), stating ‘it slipped my mind’,” court documents state.

Coombs’ defence lawyer Robert Candelori told the court his client made a mistake and was not attempting to deliberately deceive.

“He made full admission (to police) … he didn’t try to make up nonsense,” Mr Candelori said.

Magistrate Alexander Mijovich found Coombs guilty but did not convict him, instead placing the 54-year-old on a two year conditional release order (CRO).