Sydney swim teacher found guilty of 43 child sexual abuse charges in NSW District Court

A former swim coach has been found guilty of 43 child sexual abuse charges relating to 11 different children.

Paul Douglas Frost was found guilty by a majority verdict in the NSW District Court this afternoon of abusing the former students at a swimming school in Sydney’s south-west during the 1990s and 2000s.

The jury had earlier been directed it could deliver majority verdicts before it found him guilty on all counts.

The 43 charges to which Frost has been convicted include several charges of sexual intercourse with a child under his authority or care, multiple charges of aggravated indecent assaults of a person under 16 and grooming children for sexual activity.

Frost was once a finalist on the cooking competition show MasterChef and his father coached the Olympic champion Ian Thorpe.

He was handcuffed and taken into custody after the jury was discharged, and will face a sentencing hearing in August. Previous media reports have suggested that Frost faces a life sentence for his crimes.

A previous trial had its jury discharged without a verdict after 16 days amid allegations of bullying and refusal to deliberate that a Judge worried would taint the outcome.

A juror entered the witness box to tell the court they had not reached unanimous verdicts, before the Judge Sarah Huggett said she would take a majority verdict.

Prior to the guilty verdicts, Judge Huggett advised the jury “it is preferable that your verdict be unanimous.”

Image of Paul Frost credit to LinkedIn.