Geological services provider Darryl Brian Mapleson has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for insider trading, with the Supreme Court of Western Australia ordering his immediate release upon entering a $5,000 recognisance to be of good behaviour for two years. He was also fined $60,000.
Mapleson, who had earlier pleaded guilty, was sentenced on 6 August 2025 for one count of insider trading contrary to s1043A(1) of the Corporations Act 2001, relating to his trading in Beacon Minerals Limited shares in 2017.
The court heard 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. He was also engaged to act as Beacon Minerals’ Competent Person for announcements to the Australian Securities Exchange concerning drilling results.
Prosecutors said the charge concerned Mapleson procuring Rosdarem Pty Ltd and Rosdarem Investments Pty Ltd, companies of which he was a director, to buy 6,792,850 Beacon Minerals shares between 21 and 24 January 2017 while he held inside information.
The information related to results from the stage one drilling programme at Beacon Minerals’ Jaurdi Gold Project that had not yet been announced to the market. When the company published its announcement on 31 January 2017, its share price rose by 33 per cent.
Mapleson first appeared on insider trading charges on 21 May 2021. The matter was prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Commonwealth) following a referral from ASIC.
