‘Vulnerable‘ teen levels child grooming allegations against prominent Sutherland Shire sporting figures

A teen who accused three men – including swim coach Craig Chantler and referee Bobby Cummings of grooming him online is considering giving a second statement to police, court told.

Cronulla swim coach and high school teacher Craig Chantler, left, Gymea Bay electrician Alan Foy, centre and Sutherland junior rugby league stalwart Robert ‘Bobby’ Cummings, right Pictures: Supplied

A teenage boy who levelled individual child grooming allegations against three men, two of whom are prominent members of the Sutherland Shire junior sporting community, is considering giving a second statement to police, a court has heard.

Cronulla swim coach and high school teacher Craig Chantler, Sutherland junior rugby league stalwart Robert ‘Bobby’ Cummings’ and Gymea Bay electrician Alan Foy have each been charged over allegations they sexually groomed the 15-year-old boy in separate incidents in April this year after connecting with him over the gay dating app Grindr.

The Telegraph understands police will allege none of the grooming acts are linked, nor are the trio directly known to each other, but that each man communicated with the teen individually over social media “with the intention of procuring [him] to engage in sexual activity with [them]”.

Cummings, a long-time football referee and former president of Sutherland Loftus United Junior Rugby League Club, was arrested at his Engadine home on the evening of April 27.

He was taken to Sutherland Police Station where he was charged with using a carriage service to procure a person under 16 years for sexual activity.

Chantler, who taught PDHPE at Cronulla High School and was head coach at Swimmerz Academy in Caringbah, was arrested two days later during an early morning practice session at the swim school.

The aspiring local government politician was later charged with procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity, and using a carriage service to procure a person under 16 years for sexual activity.

Foy was arrested at his home in Sutherland just before 5am on May 3.

He was taken to Sutherland Police Station and charged with using a carriage service to procure a person under 16 years for sexual activity and procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity.

All three men were granted bail by police following their arrests.

Pleas are yet to be entered to any of the charges.

During a brief mention of all three matters in the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, a solicitor representing the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions said the cases were “complex” and involved a “child victim with vulnerabilities”, but did not elaborate on the nature of those vulnerabilities.

She sought an adjournment of three weeks, saying police may serve another statement on the men’s legal representatives in the near future.

“I was advised last night by the investigator that the complainant may wish to provide a [further] statement,” the prosecutor said.

Chantler and Cummings were excused from attending court on Thursday however Foy did appear, sitting in the back of the busy courtroom while his lawyer spoke on his behalf.

Magistrate Margaret Quinn adjourned the cases to October 25 and continued each man’s bail, which prohibits them from being involved in sporting clubs or associations affiliated with children.

The trio are also each banned from contacting or being in the company of anyone under the age of 18 and must not use any social media apps “including but not limited to, Grindr, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram”, bail documents said.