NSW child sex crimes: Offenders, incidents list for 2025
The number of child sexual abuse crimes is on the rise, with more than 100,000 recorded incidents over the last decade. Some of the state’s most recently convicted offenders can be revealed.
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More than 105,000 incidents of sexual offences against children have been recorded in NSW over the last decade, with offences steadily climbing.
In 2024, there were 12,377 incidents recorded in NSW, compared to 8196 in 2015, according to NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data, with a total of 105,234 incidents recorded over the last decade.
The number of offences are increasing, on average, at 4.1 per cent per year.
According to BOCSAR records, the Central Coast has recorded the highest number of incidents in the state across the last decade at 5854.
It is closely followed by Blacktown at 5463, then Lake Macquarie at 3812.
In 2024, 66 per cent of child victims, under the age of 16, of sexual offences committed by adults were between the ages of 11 and 14.
Additionally, more victims are coming forward as adults, with records showing numbers have increased significantly in the last decade – from 934 in 2015 to 2876 in 2024.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley praised the NSW Police who continue to work “tirelessly to protect vulnerable children”.
“Responding to crime involving young people is complex – it requires skill, empathy and professionalism – something our police have in spades,” she said.
“It is a shocking reality that some offenders engage with children online – we have taken steps to address this by banning offenders from games which allow online communication with a child.
“Every child should be safe and protected from predators which is why last year the Minns Labor Government passed legislation to further strengthen the child protection offender regime.
“Changes include making it easier for police to detect if an offender breaches their reporting obligations and officers will have increased powers to take action. We all want children to be safe and live their lives free from harm.”
The State Crime Command Child Abuse Squad has given tips to parents and guardians to spot if their child/children are victims of child sexual abuse.
“Look for changes in demeanour of a child,” a spokesman said.
“Not wanting to go to the centre, any injuries, what the child has to say – don’t prompt, just listen and record if possible.”
Here are some of the most recent convicted offenders.
Brendan Burnett
Former Broughton Anglican College teacher Brendan Burnett was caught sending a barrage of sexually-charged messages to a 15-year-old male.
He was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars after previously pleading guilty to two counts of procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity.
The court heard the offending began when Burnett added the teenager on Snapchat before exchanging phone numbers.
The conversations had started off casual before escalating to a demand from Burnett for the boy to send him naked pictures.
He had also told the victim he was his “teen boy” and how he preferred boys between 13 and 18 whose “balls had dropped”.
Burnett lodged an appeal but it was ultimately dismissed.
He was sentenced to an aggravated term of imprisonment of 33 months, with a non parole period of 22 months. He will be released on parole on December 18 2025.
Anthony Castelnuovo
Upper north shore hairdresser Anthony Castelnuovo had his disturbing four-decade long sexual misconduct come to light.
The elderly hairdresser was found guilty of 16 counts of sexually touching another person without consent, four counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault with an act of indecency against a person under 16 and three counts of intentionally sexually touching a child between 10 and 16.
It all came to a head with an act of indecency against a 15-year-old girl at a salon, which Magistrate Brett Shields found was the “most serious”.
The 70-year-old had pleaded his innocence during the two-week hearing, however he was convicted and sentenced to a three year community corrections order, which will expire on February 20 2027.
He lodged an appeal but later withdrew it.
Joshua Thomas Keith Coonan
Former field hockey player and tree lopper Joshua Thomas Keith Coonan told his victim they couldn’t be public until she turned 16 or else he’d “go to jail”.
Coonan, who previously represented the Central Coast in field hockey, was found guilty of seven of the 15 counts of having sexual intercourse with a person aged between 14 and 16.
A jury found him not guilty of the remaining eight counts.
Coonan had initially invited his victim to his home in Bateau Bay for a swim in 2012. He then started messaging her on Facebook, telling her she had “one of the best bodies I have seen” before their relationship became physical.
The relationship was discovered by the victim’s mother who discovered the messages and went to the police. The girl initially told the police she didn’t know who Coonan was, and only reported it in 2021 once she was an adult and “ready to make a statement”.
Coonan was jailed for three years and six months, with a non-parole period of 21-months.
He will be eligible for release in June 2025.
Benjamin Stokes
Prominent former Sydney dance teacher Benjamin Stokes groomed and molested four young students over four years.
The former Commotion Performing Arts head was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years jail after he made an 11th hour plea in the middle of his criminal trial in the Sydney District Court, days before the jury was expected to deliberate on the verdict.
He initially pleaded not guilty to six counts of grooming a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity, five counts of indecently assaulting a child under 16, and one count of meeting a child under 14 after grooming for sexual activity, but changed his plea to guilty after further evidence came to light showing he lied when giving evidence about his relationship with one of his victims.
The court heard Stokes befriended some of his victims before inviting them to his home, where he molested them.
Others were befriended over social media, with one victim being sent inappropriate photos and videos from Stokes.
This same victim was later molested by Stokes at a park near his house.
The court was told during the trial that Stokes told his psychologist he was at his “darkest point” in his life in the months leading up to the grooming and molestation of the students, citing ongoing depression, isolation and low self-esteem following childhood bullying.
Stokes will be eligible to apply for parole in 2029 after serving a minimum five years of his sentence behind bars.
A notice of intention to appeal was lodged on August 30, 2024, and is currently ongoing.
Neville Knight
Former Hunter youth worker Neville Knight raped 11 boys over nearly 40 years while working as a boxing coach and youth worker.
Neville Knight, who is also the half-brother of notorious killer Katherine Knight, was jailed for 18 years in the NSW District Court after he pleaded guilty to 28 charges relating to the rape and abuse of 11 boys as young as seven between 1967 and 2003.
Knight, who was a teenager himself when the offending began, preyed on his victims while they were vulnerable – including while his victims slept and in toilet cubicles at a youth centre he worked at in the Hunter region – and was sometimes in a “position of authority”.
He sometimes plied his victims with drugs before abusing them, and bought them ice cream and boxing trunks afterwards, but always ordered them to keep their offending to themselves.
With time already served, Knight will not be eligible for parole until November 16, 2031.
At the time of publishing, no appeals had been lodged.
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