Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin charged over breaches to Listening Devices Act

Veteran homicide detective Gary Jubelin, the lead investigator in the case of missing William Tyrrell, has been charged with illegally recording conversations less than a month out from his retirement.

SEASONED homicide investigator Gary Jubelin could face jail time for recording conversations with a key person of interest in the William Tyrell investigation.

Four months after the Detective Chief Inspector was sidelined from the high-profile missing child investigation, Professional Standards Command officers charged Jubelin on Friday morning with four breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act.

The Saturday Telegraph understands the offences relate to separate face-to-face and phone conversations Insp Jubelin had with a man who helped with the search for William and has been called to give evidence at the inquest into the toddler’s disappearance.

It is a criminal offence in NSW to record a conversation without someone’s knowledge.

It attracts a maximum penalty of five years’ jail or a fine but the law provides exceptions including if a recording is needed to protect the lawful interests of a person involved.

Gary Jubelin during the search for William Tyrrell. Picture: Nathan Edwards

It is understood at least 10 people have provided statements during the investigation.

The 57-year-old Homicide Squad detective has enlisted the counsel of former Crown Prosecutor turn defence barrister Margaret Cunneen SC.

It is a fitting choice given Ms Cunneen’s well-documented and successful battle against the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

On Friday, Ms Cunneen said her new client denied any wrongdoing and would strongly defend the charges.

“Detective Chief Inspector Jubelin is confident that these matters will shortly be resolved in his favour,” she said in a statement.

The decision to charge Jubelin has been one that the NSW Police top brass had been mulling over after receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions that there was grounds to do so.

Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin at Batar Creek, 4km from where William Tyrrell disappeared. Picture: Peter Lorimer.

The investigation started when complaints regarding bullying and management were made about Jubelin within the homicide squad last year.

That snowballed into a Professional Standards Command investigation and saw Insp Jubelin taken off the Tyrrell case, removed from the homicide offices and placed on desk duties.

He was said to be livid about the decision to take him away from the leading role on the Tyrrell investigation given his intimate knowledge of the case and the fact it hadn’t been solved.

Several weeks ago Jubelin handed in his resignation papers and called quits on a 34 year career.

Missing … William Tyrrell.

While he refused to comment on the departure, Insp Jubelin had told colleagues he was disappointed to leave the force but was determined to go out with his reputation intact.

The charges began to spark outcry on Friday from the families of homicide victims who have long admired Insp Jubelin for his dedication.

In 2012 Insp Jubelin’s relentless pursuit of murderer and drug dealer Anthony Perish was portrayed in Channel 9’s Underbelly: Badness.

In 2017, through a series of unprecedented legal manoeuvres and weeks digging up the Royal National Park, Insp Jubelin’s team uncovered the remains of Matthew Leveson, after using a coronial inquest to obtain information from his former boyfriend Michael Atkins, who led police to the gravesite under the promise of immunity.

Since the late 1990s he has carried the investigation into the murders of Evelyn Greenup, 4, Clinton Speedy-Duroux, 16 and Colleen Walker in Bowraville in northern NSW. The pursuit of justice, by both Insp Jubelin and the victims’ families, led to a change in double jeopardy laws in NSW. In 2012 Insp Jubelin’s relentless pursuit of murderer and drug dealer Anthony Perish was portrayed in Channel 9’s Underbelly: Badness and he has remained the state’s best-known homicide detective.

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Murderer and drug dealer Anthony Perish and (right) murder victim Matt Leveson’s remains were found in the Royal National Park.

Originally published as Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin charged over breaches to Listening Devices Act