Ryan Kebblewhite to learn all child sex offence allegations against him

An elite Gold Coast junior tennis coach charged with a raft of child sex offences will learn the full extent of the police allegations against him next month.

Prominent Gold Coast tennis coach Ryan Kebblewhite from KDV Sport was arrested by detectives last month. Picture: Instagram

An elite Gold Coast junior tennis coach charged with a raft of child sex offences will learn the full extent of the police allegations against him next month.

Ryan Kebblewhite, who coached at the same Coast academy where tennis great Lleyton Hewitt’s son trained, was arrested courtside during a junior tournament last month and hit with multiple charges including rape.

It followed a police investigation into allegations of historical child sex offences committed in Adelaide and the Gold Coast’s KDV Sport centre academy.

“Police will allege the man repeatedly offended against a child, known to him through involvement in a sport academy,” police said last month after Mr Kebblewhite’s arrest.

Mr Kebblewhite, a 38-year-old father-of-two from Burleigh Heads, was charged with two counts each of rape and indecent dealing with a child under 16, as well as one count of grooming a child under 16.

Prominent Gold Coast tennis coach Ryan Kebblewhite from KDV Sport was arrested by detectives last month. Picture: Instagram

His case was mentioned for the first time in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Mr Kebblewhite was not required to appear in person but was represented by defence lawyer Darren Mahoney, of Jacobson Mahoney Lawyers, who sought a date for a police brief of evidence to be provided.

The magistrate ordered a full brief be disclosed by April 8, with the case adjourned for another mention on April 22.

Mr Kebblewhite won a coaching excellence award at the 2021 Queensland Tennis Awards and was a finalist for Coach of the Year in 2019.

KDV, where Hewitt’s teenage son Cruze previously trained, said after Mr Kebblewhite’s arrest that he was “no longer with our organisation”.

“We fully understand the concerns this case may raise, and we want to assure you that the wellbeing and safety of all our tennis athletes remain our top priority,” KDV tennis academy manager Ross Taylor told parents in an email.

“Despite the current circumstances, all of our programs will continue to run as scheduled and we are committed to providing the same level of support and professionalism you’ve come to expect.”

Originally published as Ryan Kebblewhite to learn all child sex offence allegations against him