A former Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club coach has been denied bail after being charged with intentionally sexually touching a child over 10 and under 16. The charges relate to allegations connected to a different club.
Wei Jun Lee, 32, who until recently owned and coached at Skybound Gymnastics in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, was extradited to New South Wales on 21 August after reports the alleged incident took place at a hotel in Sydney in April this year. As we understand, the alleged crime took place a couple of days before Sydney hosted a state championships in gymnastics. We have not seen any evidence or allegations from during his time working on the Northern Beaches, but understand combing through his work history will form part of police investigations.
Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club (MWGC) has sent a notification to current members notifying them of a “police investigation involving a coach who is also a club owner in QLD who has been arrested”.
Within the message, they confirmed Mr Lee worked at MWGC between 2017 and 2019.
“To our knowledge, no formal concerns were raised regarding his work with us during that period,” the statement read.
“MWGC has strong safeguards in place, including mandatory background checks of all our staff, and we comply to a comprehensive Child Safe Policy from Gymnastics Australia.
“We remain committed to providing a safe and supportive environment to all members of the MWGC community.”
There are concerns from the MWGC members that while this notification has been sent to current members, previous members and parents, who may have been coached by Mr Lee, may not be aware of the situation.
Manly Observer reached out to Gymnastics Australia to understand its policy about notifying former employers and former students when a coach is charged with child sex offences.
Due to the ongoing police investigation, Gymnastics Australia said they were unable to comment further than their original statement with Gymnastics Queensland.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our sport is our highest priority,” the statement read.
“Gymnastics in Australia has zero tolerance for any behaviour that places members or children at risk. Gymnastics Australia and Gymnastics Queensland acted immediately under the National Integrity Framework, suspending the coach as soon as we became aware of the arrest. Skybound Gymnastics will cease operations effective immediately.”
Within the statement, they added they’re responding to and supporting affected families.
Prior to his employment at MWGC, Mr Lee managed a gymnastics team at PCYC Auburn and was a coach at Sydney Gymnastic and Aquatic Centre.
QLD’s crime command’s child abuse squad began its investigation into the matter in June. Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Peter Miles said Mr Lee was arrested last week, before he faced Southport court on the warrant of apprehension. He confirmed there were no allegations in relation to child sex offences in Queensland; however, as a matter of procedure, detectives are making inquiries about where he’s worked and the kids that he’s had contact with.
Mr Lee appeared at Blacktown Local Court on Monday, 25 August, where he was denied bail and will return to court on 12 September.
Should you have any concerns after reading this article:
To report a crime, contact your local police on 131 444 or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Child Protection Helpline: 13 21 11
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
If you have any concerns regarding the integrity or safeguarding in gymnastics, these can be raised with the Gymnastics Australia National Integrity Unit on (03) 8698 9700 (option 0).
Formal complaints can also be made to Sport Integrity Australia via their online webform or by calling 1300 027 232.
