BREAKING NEWS Commonwealth Bank executive Christopher McCann who allegedly procured underage children for sex is found dead after appearing in court
Christopher James McCann, 50, appeared in Brisbane Arrest Court last Monday to apply for bail after being charged with one count of using the internet to procure children aged under 16.
The Sydney-based McCann was extradited to Queensland on Thursday night after being arrested by NSW Police.
He was found dead at Springbrook yesterday.
Queensland Police Service are not treating his death as suspicious.
'A report will be prepared for the Coroner following the non-suspicious death of a man at Springbrook yesterday,' a spokeswoman said in a statement.
McCann described himself online as a corporate finance executive with more than 20 years of experience.
Magistrate Louise Shephard told McCann he was accused of a 'terribly serious offence' by allegedly engaging Brisbane sex worker Shauntelle Elizabeth Went, 18, to supply the services of two girls aged 14 or 15.
'You travelled interstate frequently. You formed some kind of connection with (Went). On May 14 police intercepted messages between you and she.
'The allegation is you ... queried her about whether she had younger friends that she worked with.'
McCann stood in the dock looking either down or straight ahead during his appearance.
Ms Shephard said McCann was accused of making an arrangement and agreeing on price to use Went's services alongside two underage girls.
'Later the evening Went and the girls attended (a Brisbane CBD five-star hotel),' Ms Shephard said.
'The two girls went to the room and you contacted the front desk to ask them to leave. It is not alleged the girls entered the room.
'The matter was referred by NSW Police to Task Force Argos (Queensland Police child exploitation unit) and on July 8 they executed a search warrant on your home.'
A prosecutor opposed bail based on the risk of McCann offending while on bail and the risk to the welfare of the community.
'He lives in NSW. He is a flight risk. He has financial capacity from his previous employment,' the prosecutor said.
Ms Shephard said McCann's employment had been terminated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I lived fast and hard dealing drugs while hooked on meth… then came the sliding doors moment that completely turned my life around
A reformed drug dealer has recalled the horrific moment he found his brother trying to save his friend after he choked on his own vomit and died from an overdose. Braiden Tonks, 32, has lived through a decade of addiction, violence and crime that ultimately left him scarred, alone and hanging on to life by a thread. Mr Tonks managed to turn his life around and is now a father of three, partner and activist who is trying to help other addicts by sharing his own life experiences. The young father said he was the son of a pub brawler who had a reputation among locals and that he leaned into his violent legacy. Six-foot-five, covered in tattoos, and sporting stretched earlobes, he began smuggling methamphetamine into the Apple Isle in his 20s. His exploits afforded him nice cars, Harley-Davidsons, and enough cash to use meth on the side. But his addiction took it all away, leaving him with a stolen mountain bike and no roof over his head. 'I went from that guy with all the money, all the assets, and dealing drugs, to the absolute bottom of the spectrum,' he told Daily Mail Australia. When he thought he'd lost everything, he sought solace in other users. One introduced him to heroin – the worst drug he ever tried – and soon he was on the brink of death. In a hotel with his brother, Mr Tonks tried some, felt dizzy, and collapsed. CPR from his brother saved him, but the next morning he had to watch as his new friend wouldn't wake up. His brother tried CPR again, then turned to Mr Tonks, bile in his mouth, and said: 'This is exactly what I was doing to you'. The incident rattled Mr Tonks. The turning point came when he was caught in a hailstorm, wearing a T-shirt with nothing but a suitcase of drug paraphernalia behind an electrical box. He weighed just 68kg at the time. 'I remember sitting down behind this thing and bawling my eyes out,' Mr Tonks said. 'I wasn't born a Christian or anything, but I just remember sitting there and all of a sudden looking up, saying, "God, if you are real, help me, or kill me". 'I literally had nowhere to go. Nobody. My family had given up on me, my mum was in jail, my dad is completely anti-drugs.' It was a moment he's now grateful for. Soon after, he was nabbed at Hobart Airport following a failed trip to purchase $20,000 of meth. Detectives hauled him from the tarmac. 'They fully strip searched me, they found the cash, a couple of satchels with residue from drugs in the bag. That was enough to take me back to the station,' Mr Tonks said. He copped a 12-month suspended sentence with two years on good behaviour before a variety of minor offences landed him inside Risdon Prison Complex for six months. After leaving prison, he knew he couldn't stay in Tasmania. He feared he'd be pulled back into old habits. His mother, just out of jail herself, and his ex-partner – who is the mother of his two kids – gave him a chance to stay in their lives if he cleaned up. He said his current partner, Bec, and their daughter was a 'big factor' to his recovery. Mr Tonks said surrounding yourself with people who want the best for you is key to overcoming addiction. While working in construction and raising his kids, he started talking about his previous experiences on a podcast and trying to become that helping hand for others. His content joins a growing group of 'underworld' podcasters - like Sydney phenom Spanian - speaking to forgotten Australians and those curious about life on the edge. An estimated 10.2million Australians aged 14 and over have used an illicit drug in their lifetime. Drug use has declined in most age groups since 2019, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. But street drugs are growing more dangerous due to synthetic ingredients and powerful cutting agents. Mr Tonks also shares stories from others on the path to recovery. He has received dozens of messages a week from young people wanting to turn their lives around. Not everyone likes what he has to say – and that's fine with him. 'There's 100 per cent way more positivity than negativity on social media for me through the message I carry, but once upon a time I wouldn't have been able to handle it,' Mr Tonks said. 'My father was a very violent man... I sort of copped that reputation of him myself.' He admits he used to threaten those who criticised him, a habit shaped by his upbringing. 'Since I went to jail, I wouldn't say I found the Lord, but I found something,' Mr Tonks said. 'I believe in a higher power, whatever it is. I definitely believe in something higher than me. It's helped me, man, to switch off, grow more and not deal with a negative s***.' His podcast is available on Tonksy Media Podcast via social media, YouTube and Spotify. Lifeline: 13 11 14
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The shocking games your KIDS are playing - as an urgent warning is issued to every parent
Australian parents are being warned that children have access to hundreds of online games that simulate and encourage horrifying scenarios including rape, incest and child sex abuse. When searching the word 'rape' on popular gaming platform Steam, at least 232 results matched the search, campaign group Collective Shout revealed. On the same day, a search for 'incest' turned up 149 results. The game titles are the stuff of parents' nightmares, from 'Incest DEMO' and 'Incest Twins', to virtual reality 'Reincarnation in another world going to rape'. The latter allowed players to explore a virtual 'town' raping all the women who are non–player characters (NPCs) – avatars who are not controlled by a player. Another game allowed players to 'set up' hidden surveillance at a female neighbour's home to secretly record her sexual acts. Graphic imagery, which has been seen by Daily Mail but is too disturbing to publish, included violent sexual torture of women and children, including incest-related abuse. Kelly Humphries, who lives in central Queensland, is a survivor of familial child sexual abuse and has shared her horror at the games. 'There's not a lot that surprises me anymore but this was shocking,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I look at that research and I'm just so ashamed, angry and frustrated because I don't understand why this behaviour is acceptable for big companies.' Ms Humphries has worked in law enforcement and is an activist raising awareness about abuse, including as an ambassador for Collective Shout. 'To see this violence depicted in such a horrific, brazen and humiliating way pushes survivors back into themselves,' she said. 'It completely undermines their experiences by gamifying and almost making fun of their true experience.' Ms Humphries said the games will take a psychological toll on players, particularly on young people who interact online more often than older generations. '(The games) are normalising this behaviour,' she said. '(Young people) are either going to act out that behaviour or they're going to be a victim and suffer silently.' This was echoed by University of New South Wales' Professor Michael Salter, who said the games are 'part of subcultures online that normalise sexual abuse'. Professor Salter, who is also director of the East Asia and Pacific branch of Childlight, said the content will reinforce the acceptability of violence for children or people with problematic behaviour if they play the games. He said that, while the games breach national laws, platforms like Steam and operate internationally and as such, do not follow Australian standards. Both Ms Humphries and Professor Salter signed an open letter to companies including PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, and Paysafe Limited, to request they cease processing payments for gaming platforms which host rape, incest and child sexual abuse–themed games. Professor Salter said there are no rules in international law to manage the issue so 'payment services effectively become a de facto regulator'. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Valve Corporation, which operates Steam, and the platform which is also named in the open letter, regarding the claims. Valve is understood to have changed its rules earlier this week, adding a clause prohibiting content that broke rules set out by payment processors including 'adult content'. There were initially 14 clauses which banned content including hate speech, malware, sexual content of real people or exploitation of children, Automaton Media reported. But a new 15th clause has outlawed 'content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam's payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult-only content.' The database Steam DB also noted on Tuesday a 'large number of games have been removed from the platform in the past 16 hours'. 'Judging from the list, it appears "sex simulator" type games with keywords such as "incest" and "slavery" make up the majority,' it said. Daily Mail Australia has also contacted the payment services named in the open letter for comment. Spokespeople for PayPal and Mastercard both emphasised their companies have a 'zero tolerance' policy for illegal activity on their networks. Mastercard and the provider Paysafe have said they are investigating concerns that have been raised. Visa reponded with directions to a page on its website about protecting those who use its network. Professor Salter has also raised concerns about discoveries by his team which noticed people breaching others' boundaries on new technology platforms. 'Gaming services often forge ahead with designs without building in safety,' he said. '(On virtual reality platforms), we see kids adopt avatars that are highly sexualised adult avatars and then interact with actual adults.' He said the issue comes down to regulation and the need for clear, enforceable content rules to protect children, adding that parents can take action at home too. 'It's important to have discussions with kids about the gaming services they are on and the content they are seeing,' he said. 'It's not as easy as monitoring games so parents should set clear rules about types of games they are permitted to play and the types they are not allowed to play.' Another suggestion was that parents explain to children that their behaviour online matters and speaks to their character. 'There is a pervasive view that online behaviour is not real, that it is not serious,' he said. 'So it licenses a range of behaviours that are antisocial and transgressive.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Young girl, 7, is struck and killed by falling palm tree while playing in her yard at Tiwi
A seven-year-old girl has died after a group of children were hit by a falling palm tree. The girl was playing in the yard of a property in Tiwi, north Darwin, when she was hit by the tree about 1.55pm on Saturday. She died in an ambulance while on the way to Royal Darwin Hospital. An 11-year-old boy was also injured by the fallen tree. He did not suffer life-threatening injuries. NT Police are investigating and believe the incident is not suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
