Gold Coast tennis coach Ryan Keith Kebblewhite, 38, charged with rape, child sex offences

A well-known junior tennis coach working at the elite Gold Coast academy where Lleyton Hewitt’s son trained has been arrested and charged with a string of child sex offences including rape.

Prominent Gold Coast tennis coach Ryan Kebblewhite from KDV Sport. Picture: Instagram.

A prominent junior tennis coach at the same elite Gold Coast academy where former star Lleyton Hewitt’s son trained has been dramatically arrested at the sporting complex and charged with a string of child sex offences including rape.

Ryan Keith Kebblewhite, 38, was arrested in a police raid on the KDV Sport Centre at Carrara on Sunday during a junior tournament.

It followed an investigation into allegations of “multiple” historic child sex offences on the Gold Coast and in Adelaide, police said in a statement.

“Police will allege the man repeatedly offended against a child, known to him through involvement in a sport academy,” a police spokeswoman said.

Ryan Kebblewhite was arrested on the Gold Coast on Sunday. Picture: Instagram.

“Police have now charged a 38-year-old Burleigh Heads man with two counts each of rape and indecent treatment of a child under 16, and one count of grooming child under 16 years.”

Mr Kebblewhite, a father of two young girls who has been a coach at KDV for several years, appeared on Monday in Southport Magistrates Court where his case was adjourned until March 4.

Neither he nor Tennis Australia, with which Mr Kebblewhite is accredited, responded to The Courier-Mail’s requests for comment.

The charges related to allegations of offences on the Gold Coast and Adelaide. Picture: Instagram.

It is understood Mr Kebblewhite was arrested while acting as tournament director for a Gold Coast junior event tournament at KDV, in which more than 100 youngsters were participating.

He won a coaching excellence award at the 2021 Queensland Tennis Awards and was a finalist for coach of the year in 2019.

Only last month, KDV was spruiking an afternoon tennis academy run by Mr Kebblewhite but his name was no longer listed as a coach on the centre’s website on Tuesday.

The KDV golf and tennis academy at Carrara. Picture: Glenn Hampson

In a message to parents on Tuesday, KDV Sport Tennis Academy manager Ross Taylor said he was writing to advise of “an ongoing situation involving one of our staff members” which had led to the person being stood down.

“A police investigation is currently under way and, as a precautionary measure, the individual will be stood down from their duties while the matter is fully investigated,” he said.

“As this matter is under investigation, we are unable to share specific details at this time until a full investigation has been conducted. However, we want to emphasise that we are taking this situation very seriously and the staff member is being fully cooperative with police.

“Your trust and satisfaction are incredibly important to us, and we will keep you updated with any relevant developments. Should you have any immediate concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

“We greatly appreciate your understanding and continued support during this process.”

The $20m KDV Sport centre, which specialises in tennis and golf, was built by Russian tycoon Dennis Shtengelov in 2016 and features state of the art facilities including 20 tennis courts, golf course and range, gym and fitness centre, swimming pool, hotel, restaurant, conference centre and day spa.

Hewitt, a former world No.1 and US Open and Wimbledon champion, moved his family from Melbourne to the Gold Coast in 2021 to further teenage son Cruze’s tennis career at KDV.

Hewitt and former star actor wife Bec recently sold their Burleigh Heads mansion, which they bought for more than $4m, after relocating to Sydney.

Originally published as Gold Coast tennis coach Ryan Keith Kebblewhite, 38, charged with rape, child sex offences