Parents who stood by acquitted swim coach Kyle Daniels split after years-long ordeal as father finds love again

They were accusations that would turn a young man’s life upside down – and ultimately fracture the tight-knit family that had stood behind him.

Four years after Kyle Daniels was acquitted of 10 child sex abuse charges and prosecutors dropped the remaining allegations against him, the former Northern Beaches swim instructor has rebuilt his life far from Sydney.

Now 27, Daniels has relocated to Queensland, where he works in recruitment, leaving behind the controversy that overshadowed his former career.

Years on, the impact of the case has been felt well beyond the courtroom.

Kyle’s parents, James and Janine Daniels, who supported their son throughout his lengthy legal battle, ended their marriage soon after he was vindicated. The former couple appear to have remained on amicable terms and are still connected on Facebook.

James, known as Jim, has been based in Melbourne for several years, living in an apartment in upmarket South Yarra with views across the Royal Botanic Gardens. He also appears to have found love again.

The advertising executive recently went public with his relationship with Alexandra Pym (née Martin), revealing that the couple have also embarked on a business venture together.

‘Lifting the lid on love,’ he wrote in a social media post announcing the project.

‘From a dating site to a relationship, and now to launching a product together – who knew smelly bathroom visits could spark such inspiration?’

He explained that the idea emerged from their travels, and – somewhat less glamorously – their experiences with unfamiliar bathrooms.

‘Between romantic weekends away, overseas trips and all those anxiety-inducing ensuite bathrooms, the idea for this product was born,’ he wrote.

Last month, he gave his Facebook followers another glimpse of what was to come.

‘Alexandra and I are creating a stylish loo product designed to ease loo anxiety and help you leave the bathroom with confidence,’ he wrote.

‘You’ll walk out flicking your hair, not your nerves.’

‘Development is officially underway and we can’t wait to bring our vision to you. Until then, expect our curated take on all things bathroom – quirky and bespoke designs, stinky moments, and a dose of cheekiness.’

Meanwhile, the former couple have moved on from their old Northern Beaches home, selling their three-bedroom Balgowlah property in 2024 for $2.45million.

For Kyle, life today is a world away from the one he knew when the allegations were first made in 2018. He was just 20 and studying at Sydney University when his world was turned upside down. 

Daniels grew up in an affluent family on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and attended prestigious Knox Grammar School before going on to university.

Born in Johannesburg, Kyle and his identical twin brother Liam spent part of their childhood in South Africa and Singapore before the family moved to Australia in 2014.

At Knox, Kyle became a school prefect and played first-grade water polo, developing a strong interest in swimming and water sports. In 2016, while still in Year 12, he completed his accreditation as a swimming instructor at Mosman Swim Centre.

Two years later, that job would put him at the centre of a police investigation.

In mid-2018, the parents of two girls, aged six and eight, raised concerns with the swim school about Daniels’ conduct during lessons. One allegation was that he had touched a child between the legs or held her inappropriately.

The school placed Daniels under supervision and instructed him not to hold children near the groin or chest, and to keep his hands above the water. In August 2018, Daniels and other instructors signed a memo outlining appropriate procedures for handling children.

By February 2019, Daniels had been suspended from his job.

Then, on the morning of March 12, 2019, police came for him. Daniels was driving to university when his mother called to say officers wanted to speak with him.

He returned to the family home in Balgowlah before being taken to Manly Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of intentionally sexually touching girls aged between six and ten.

He was refused bail and spent a night in the Manly police cells before being transferred to Amber Laurel Correctional Centre at Emu Plains.

He spent about a week in custody before securing bail under strict conditions, including a night-time curfew.

On March 20, his parents and twin brother collected him from prison, reportedly still wearing the clothes he had been arrested in.

For the next 18 months, the allegations followed him through the courts. His trial began in the NSW District Court on 26 October 2020, by which point the number of charges had expanded to 26.

Daniels, then 22, pleaded not guilty to charges including sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and indecent assault. The prosecution case involved nine girls aged between five and ten, and 23 alleged incidents at the Mosman Swim Centre.

Over six weeks, jurors heard evidence from the children, including police interviews and pre-recorded testimony, as well as from parents and swim centre staff.

Daniels took the stand and denied the allegations, telling the court the offences had not occurred. He denied ever putting his hand inside a student’s swimmers or touching a child on or near the genitals.

The jury acquitted him of 10 of 21 child sexual abuse charges, including five counts of sexual intercourse with a child under ten. However, it could not reach verdicts on the remaining 11 charges – five counts of indecent assault and six counts of intentionally sexually touching a child – and was discharged.

A second jury was subsequently unable to reach verdicts on the outstanding charges. With prosecutors facing the prospect of a third trial, the Director of Public Prosecutions ultimately dropped all 11 remaining charges in December 2022.

For Daniels, the long-running legal ordeal was finally over, and he has since built a new life in Queensland, while his parents have gone their separate ways.