Basketball coach abused girl at primary school during training session, court told

Tue 30 Jun 2026 at 6:27pm

Tue 30 Jun 2026 at 6:27pm

In short:

Shannon Trew, 42, was coaching a girl on the grounds of a primary school when he sexually abused her in 2024.

A subsequent police search of his phone uncovered more than 1,000 child exploitation images.

What's next?

Trew, who admitted the offences, has been denied bail and remanded in custody ahead of a further sentencing hearing.

A Perth basketball coach who sexually abused a child he was training had more than 1,000 child exploitation images on his phone, a Perth court has heard.

WARNING: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse.

Shannon Wayne Trew, 42, appeared in the Perth District Court today, having earlier admitted two counts of indecently dealing with a child between the age of 13 and 16, and possessing child exploitation material.

The indecent dealings took place between July and August 2024 when Trew was providing one-on-one coaching to the girl on the grounds of a primary school in Perth's east, state prosecutor Sarah Jessup said.

Ms Jessup said Trew was helping the girl with stretching when he asked whether she was wearing underwear and rubbed her private area.

A cleaner at the school "observed the victim's legs over the offender's," she said.

Parents made police report

The court heard the second offence happened during another training session, where Trew went through the victim's bag and asked questions about her period.

He later ran his hands over the girl's bottom.

Ms Jessup said two parents reported the incidents to police.

The court heard police subsequently found more than 1,000 images of child exploitation material on Trew's phone.

Ms Jessup said 600 of the child exploitation images were of the most severe category, which included material relating to an infant.

She said Trew had also been working as a substitute teacher at another school at the time.

Bail plea fails

Trew's lawyer Matthew Blackburn said while the facts were accepted, he raised issues around a "lack of detail" in psychologists' reports of his client.

Mr Blackburn asked for a court-ordered psychiatric report, to assess any diagnosis for Trew and "whether there's any connection to the offending", ahead of sentencing.

Judge David MacLean said the request was very late and there was no "established link" between a disorder and the offending.

However, he ordered a psychiatric report but refused a request for bail from his lawyer, citing the 42-year-old's guilty pleas and the seriousness of his offending.

"In my view, it's not appropriate bail is renewed," he said.

Trew was remanded in custody and due to face court again on September 23.