Regulatory Alerts2025-08-12
Darryl Mapleson sentenced in Beacon Minerals insider trading case
The Supreme Court of Western Australia sentenced Darryl Mapleson to 12 months imprisonment and a $60,000 fine for insider trading related to Beacon Minerals Limited shares in 2017. Mapleson, a geological services provider and Competent Person for the company, traded nearly 6.8 million shares while in possession of undisclosed positive drilling results that subsequently caused a 33 percent share price increase. The prosecution was initiated by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions following a referral from ASIC.
Geological services provider Darryl Brian Mapleson was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for insider trading, to be released forthwith upon entering a recognisance in the amount of $5,000 to be of good behaviour for a period of two years. He was also fined $60,000.
Mr Mapleson, who previously pleaded guilty, was sentenced by the Supreme Court of Western Australia on 6 August 2025 for one count of insider trading contrary to s1043A(1) of the Corporations Act 2001 , in relation to his trading in Beacon Minerals Limited in 2017.
Mr Mapleson came into possession of inside information through his role at BM Geological Services Pty Ltd, which had been engaged to provide geological services to Beacon Minerals.
Mr Mapleson was also engaged to act as Beacon Mineral’s Competent Person for the making of announcements to the Australian Securities Exchange regarding drilling results.
The charge related to Mr Mapleson procuring Rosdarem Pty Ltd and Rosdarem Investments Pty Ltd, companies of which he was a director, to acquire 6,792,850 Beacon Minerals shares between 21 and 24 January 2017 while he was in possession of inside information.
Background
Mr Mapleson first appeared on insider trading charges on 21 May 2021 ( 21-111MR ).
The inside information possessed by Mr Mapleson related to results from the stage one drilling programme at Beacon Minerals’ Jaurdi Gold Project, which had not yet been announced via the ASX.
When an announcement was made by the company on 31 January 2017, the company’s share price increased by 33 per cent.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) prosecuted the matter after a referral from ASIC.