Orion Kannis: Wannabe DJ and convicted child groomer bailed on fresh charges
Police allege Orion Kannis used his own phone and bank account to transfer money to a 13-year-old in exchange for her sending him nude pictures online.
Police & Courts
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An aspiring Sydney DJ accused of paying a 13-year-old girl to send him naked photographs online has been released on conditional bail, despite revelations he is a registered sex offender with a history of offending against children.
The NSW Supreme Court heard Orion Kannis spent time behind bars in 2019 for child grooming offences, before being released on a three-year supervised bond and placed on the NSW Child Protection register.
Kannis’ bond expired in April 2023 and he allegedly began reoffending less than a month later.
In a brief outline of the case against Kannis, Justice Tim Faulkner SC said police would allege the now-25-year-old contacted the underage teen online in May 2023 and paid her to send him intimate images of herself in various states of undress.
Justice Faulkner refused The Daily Telegraph’s application for access to documents outlining the full set of allegations against Kannis, claiming it was “contrary to the interests of justice”.
The court heard Kannis was arrested in February and charged with one count each of procuring a child to produce child abuse material and failing to comply with reporting obligations under the NSW Child Protection Register.
Kannis’ lawyer, Kieran Ginges, said his client was pleading not guilty to both charges, but noted the allegations disclosed by police did not indicate any level of sophistication in the alleged endeavour.
“When he [allegedly] committed this offence he didn’t in any way try to hide his name,” Mr Ginges said.
“It appears on the material before the court that they [police] knew who he was because he used his own bank account, used a phone in his own name — he wasn’t trying to hide it.”
Justice Faulkner said Kannis’ behaviour, if proven, amounted to “pernicious, predatory conduct”.
“The applicant does seem to have shown some skill to communicate with and unlawfully engage with female children online and the behaviour … the subject of the current charges has an element of controlling and exploiting behaviour which is, if true, very concerning,” he said.
However, Justice Faulkner agreed to grant bail, finding the proposed conditions were stringent enough to reduce the risk associated with Kannis being at liberty.
The conditions include daily reporting to police, living with his family on the north coast and a night-time curfew.
Kannis is also banned from being in the company of anyone under the age of 18 and must not own a mobile phone with internet access.
On a business page set up for his DJing pursuits, which has since been disabled, Kannis said he was “all about the beats”.
“Channelling his melodies and beats from his higher self, Orion doesn’t follow the rules and aspires to produce tracks that are interdimensional and trigger awakenings in people’s hearts,” Kannis said of himself.
The case will return to court later this year.
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