Final twist in case of swim coach cleared of sexually assaulting nine young girls during private lessons
- Kyle Daniels was accused of sexually touching girls
- He was cleared of all offences after facing two trials
- Police applied for five restraining orders against him
A swimming coach who was found not guilty of sexually assaulting nine young girls has cleared one final legal hurdle – more than four years after he was first charged.
Six months after Kyle Daniels was cleared of any wrongdoing, police have withdrawn their request for a series of restraining orders sought to protect five of the girls.
Mr Daniels was arrested in March 2019 after two girls’ families raised concerns about his conduct with the management of Mosman Swim Centre on Sydney‘s lower north shore.
The clean-cut Mr Daniels, then aged 20, was originally accused of assaulting two students aged six and eight during private swim lessons at the school.
His arrest prompted more girls to come forward with allegations of Mr Daniels touching them on or near their genitals between February 2018 and February 2019.
A swimming coach who was found not guilty of sexually assaulting nine young girls has cleared one final legal hurdle more than four years after he was first charged. Kyle Daniels was arrested in March 2019 and faced two trials
Mr Daniels faced two trials in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court after which both juries were discharged for being unable to reach verdicts on all counts.
The Crown claimed there were 21 incidents spanning 13 months which showed a pattern of behaviour in which Mr Daniels took advantage of the students under his care for his sexual gratification.
Mr Daniels strenuously denied ever intentionally touching any student inappropriately.
Defence lawyers argued that swim school parents lied and changed their evidence in a bid to convict the instructor, after mistakenly believing he had abused their daughters.
Mr Daniels told the court that while he was under arrest, some police officers referred to him as ‘a disgusting paedo’ and joked about what would happen to him in jail.
In October, a jury acquitted Mr Daniels of ten of 21 offences including five counts of having sexual intercourse with a child. The remaining five counts of indecent assault and six of intentionally touching a child were dropped in December.
Mr Daniels was originally accused of assaulting two students aged six and eight during private swim lessons. He Daniels is pictured outside court with his mother Janine
Crown prosecutor Tony McCarthy said at the time: ‘The Director of Public Prosecutions directed there be no further proceedings in relation to any of the outstanding counts’.
Mr Daniels’ lawyer Urania Zafiris said the DPP’s decision was ‘entirely appropriate’ and that her client would demand prosecutors pay the cost of his defence.
‘Mr Daniels has always maintained his innocence of all charges in respect of these matters,’ Ms Zafiris said in December.
‘The jury verdicts and decision to discontinue are an entirely appropriate outcome consistent with that innocence.’
Despite having been cleared of committing any criminal offence, Mr Daniels was pursued by police who sought restraining orders against the 24-year-old on behalf of five of the girls.
Kyle Daniel’s father posted this photo of himself and twins sons Kyle and Liam on Manly beach in Sydney gushing that he had ‘A very happy heart. Pure happiness and love. My boys!’
Those apprehended violence order applications were finally withdrawn and dismissed before a magistrate at Downing Centre Local Court on May 31.
Mr Daniels has kept a low profile since he was cleared of the offences and has not spoken publicly about his four-year ordeal.
His parents, James and Janine, steadfastly supported him through the legal proceedings and James celebrated his son’s exoneration online.
In a post beside a photo of himself beaming in a beach towel with his arms around the shoulders of Kyle and his twin brother Liam, James wrote on Instagram: ‘A very happy heart.
‘For all who know, this is the best Christmas this dad could have ever wished for. Pure happiness and love. My boys!’
The photo, which shows the three men on Manly beach, appeared to have been uploaded to James Daniels’ Instagram page in January.
