Former William Tyrrell person of interest Bill Spedding sues state of NSW

Threatening phone calls made to a repairman, wrongly accused of being involved in the abduction of a toddler, have been played in court.

Police knew a former person of interest in the case of missing toddler William Tyrrell had been cleared of child abuse allegations before they wrongly charged him and launched a “hopeless” case that was doomed to fail, a court has been told.

Ex-repairman Bill Spedding claims he was falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted when he was charged and forced to stand trial over allegations he sexually assaulted two young girls in the 1980s.

Bill Spedding and wife Margaret arrive at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

Mr Spedding became a person of interest after he attended the NSW Mid-North Coast home of William’s former foster grandmother to fix a washing machine three days before the three-year-old was last seen alive in September 2014.

Following a raid of his home and business in January 2015, Mr Spedding was charged by police – not in relation to the Tyrrell case but over the historical allegations that a court previously found had been made up by children who were coaxed by adults with an axe to grind.

By the time he was cleared of any wrongdoing again by a NSW District Court judge in 2018, Mr Spedding had spent more than 50 days in custody.

Now he is suing the state of NSW for damages.

Despite extensive searches, police have been unable to locate William Tyrrell after he vanished from a home in Kendall. Picture: Nathan Edwards

On the first day of a NSW Supreme Court trial on Monday, Mr Spedding’s barrister Adrian Canceri said Mr Spedding believed police should never have started proceedings against him in relation to the historical allegations.

“Part of the strategy to inculpate the plaintiff was to arrest and charge him for old sexual assault allegations, which had previously been investigated by police and no action taken,” Mr Canceri said.

“At the time of the trial, when it came to give evidence in respect of those allegations, there was no evidence.

“The criminal proceedings were used as a vehicle to further the investigation of the plaintiff as a suspect in the disappearance of William Tyrrell and to punish him for his suspected involvement.”

No charges have ever been laid in relation to the disappearance of William Tyrrell.

Mr Canceri said police working on the case, including Gary Jubelin and Justin Moynihan, had verbally abused or intimidated Mr Spedding during their investigation.

The court was told that Mr Moynihan said “we know you did it, we’re going to get you, I’m going to come and arrest you”.

“I’m tired of your bulls**t and lies – don’t speak to me again,” Mr Moynihan said.

During an unrecorded interview with three police officers, the court was told that Mr Spedding claimed Mr Jubelin said “Mr Nice washing machine man, I’m going to ruin you”.

“As he said that, the plaintiff’s evidence is that Detective Jubelin leaned towards him and put his face close to the plaintiff’s, which of course the plaintiff found very intimidating,” Mr Canceri said.

A court was told that former cop Gary Jubelin said he would ‘ruin’ Mr Spedding. Picture: Monique Harmer

The NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was also at fault, Mr Canceri told the court.

“The case that was bad from the beginning got a whole lot worse when the director had carriage of it,” he said.

“The director or his delegates persisted in prosecuting the plaintiff to justify the public resources that had been expended in the investigation into the plaintiff and to also justify his public identification as a person of interest in the disappearance of William Tyrrell

“By the time of the plaintiff’s trial in February 2018, the case against him was utterly hopeless and doomed to fail.”

The court was told that Mr Spedding spent 58 days remanded in custody before he was granted Supreme Court bail.

While he awaited a trial, Bill Spedding was forced to comply with onerous bail conditions that forced him to miss weddings, births and funerals, the court was told. Picture: Nathan Edwards

While in custody, Mr Spedding faced a “frightening ordeal” and disturbing strip search from a NSW Corrective Services officer.

“During the strip search, one of the officers put his night stick up against the plaintiff’s neck and said to him words to the effect of ‘don’t you eyeball me, you listen to what I’ve got to say, we want you to talk, you know what we want you to say … I’d shove this up your arse except I’d have to clean it afterwards’,” Mr Canceri told the court.

The court was told that Bill Spedding had since relocated.

Mr Spedding gave evidence after Mr Canceri’s opening address, telling the court he had been diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, depression and anxiety.

“I’ve lost 20kg,” he said.

“It’s improving, I’m getting a bit more energy and enthusiasm. I’ve got to force myself to do things. It’s an effort to get in and do anything.”

When cross-examined by the state’s barrister Adrian Williams, Mr Spedding told the court that he was not induced or threatened to give interviews with police.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked how anyone would have known if he was an unwilling participant in any interview with police.

Mr Spedding rejected the suggestion that Mr Jubelin had never threatened to “ruin” him and the court was told that when Mr Jubelin was told he would have to apologise to Mr Spedding one day he said “I will never apologise to a pedophile”.

Bill and Margaret Spedding no longer leave their house and live in constant fear. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

After Mr Spedding gave evidence, the court was played a series of threatening voicemail messages left on his phone by strangers.

“You’re a f***ing dog, die you pedophile c**t, I’ll come and rip your f***ing head off, you f***ing old rock spider,” the callers said in various messages.

When called to give evidence, Mr Spedding’s wife Margaret told the court that she and her husband lived in fear following their ordeal with police and the courts.

“If we see a car for instance, too long out the front of our place, immediately we think ‘oh the media’,” she said.

“We don’t go anywhere, Bill couldn’t go outside the house for a few hours.”

The hearing continues.

Originally published as Former William Tyrrell person of interest Bill Spedding sues state of NSW