Former Cairns swim coach formally recorded as sex offender after appeal court overturns sentencing error

A once-respected swim coach who built a family business from a backyard pool has now been formally recorded as a convicted sex offender, after the Attorney-General stepped in to challenge his controversial sentence. The Queensland Court of Appeal on Friday allowed an appeal by Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, overturning a key aspect of William Clyde Evans’ sentence and ensuring his crimes would likely follow him for life. Evans, 51, known locally as Bill, avoided jail last year despite pleading guilty to eight child sex offences, but no conviction was recorded. Without a recorded conviction or prison sentence, Evans was not subject to any reporting obligations. That result that sparked outrage across Cairns and prompted the state’s top law officer to step in. The appeal court ruled that convictions must be formally recorded against the former swim school owner, correcting what it described as a “significant” legal error that had allowed him to avoid being placed on the sex offender register. Trusted coach to convicted offender For decades, Evans had been a familiar figure in Far North Queensland. According to an interview Evans gave to the Cairns Post in 2020, he grew up in the same Edge Hill home where his family ran C-Me Swim, a boutique learn-to-swim school founded by his parents. He began teaching as a teenager, later spending years coaching in the UK before returning to Cairns to take over the family business with his wife. At its peak, the school taught hundreds of children each week and was deeply embedded in the local community. That reputation unravelled in 2024. The court was told Evans targeted a vulnerable employee, subjecting her to repeated unwanted sexual contact over several months, including kissing and grabbing her buttocks. While on bail for those offences, he escalated his behaviour. Posing online, Evans communicated with “Zoey”, who he believed was a 13-year-old girl but was in fact an undercover police officer. During the exchanges, he made sexualised comments and attempted to arrange a meeting before being arrested. Original sentence In September 2025, Evans pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent dealing with a person with an impairment of the mind and one count of using electronic communication to procure a child under 16. He was sentenced in the Cairns District Court to probation and just 80 hours of community service, with no conviction recorded. The sentencing judge said he was “impressed” by references tendered on Evans’ behalf and described the offending as an “aberration”. But the outcome drew fierce backlash from the community and legal observers, particularly because Evans had committed further offences while on bail. Ms Frecklington swiftly launched an appeal, saying the sentence handed down was “manifestly inadequate”. “Plainly wrong” The Court of Appeal found the original judge made a fundamental mistake in law. The court found the sentencing judge had wrongly assumed Evans would automatically be placed on the sex offender register, an error it said was “plainly wrong” and one that improperly influenced the final sentence. In reality, without a recorded conviction or prison sentence, Evans would not have been subject to any reporting obligations. The appeal court labelled this a “significant error”, finding the community had effectively been left without safeguards that should have applied. Justice Brown said ongoing monitoring was crucial. “The ongoing monitoring which would result from him being a reportable offender would serve to protect and benefit the community,” he said. Community safety The court re-exercised the sentencing discretion but stopped short of jailing Evans. Instead, it ordered that convictions be recorded on all counts, a move that automatically places him on the sex offender register and subjects him to strict, ongoing monitoring. Psychiatric evidence before the court found Evans did not meet the criteria for a pedophilic disorder, but his risk level increased to “average” after he reoffended while on bail. A psychiatrist recommended he undergo treatment and be monitored in the community. Defence lawyers argued that recording a conviction would damage his rehabilitation and employment prospects, noting he had already lost his swim school business and was working as a labourer. The court rejected that argument, ruling community protection outweighed any personal or financial consequences for Evans. The Edge Hill swim school Evans once ran publicly distanced itself from him following the charges, stating he had no ongoing role in the business and was no longer an owner.