William Tyrrell’s foster mother accused of hitting and kicking girl

Details have been revealed in court surrounding the alleged assault of a child in the care of William Tyrrell’s foster mother.

William Tyrrell’s foster mother allegedly hit a child with a wooden spoon and kicked her while she was on the floor, a court has been told.

The foster mother has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a child who is not William and who cannot be identified for legal reasons, common assault and two counts of intimidation.

She appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday wearing a light pink sweater with the support of her husband, who has also been charged.

Defence lawyer Sharon Ramsden fronted the court on Thursday for a mental health inquiry

in an attempt to have the charges against the foster mother thrown out on mental health grounds.

However, the court was told the foster mother would have to face a three-day hearing in January after magistrate Peter Feather dismissed the appeal.

William Tyrrell’s foster mother allegedly hit a child in her care with a wooden spoon and kicked her while she was on the floor, a court has been told. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Ms Ramsden told the court the offences were on the “lower end of the scale”.

Mr Feather said the girl began “misbehaving” around another six-year-old child.

He said reading between the lines, there seemed to be a level of “jealousy” between the children.

A prosecutor opposed the “misbehaving” claims, telling the court the child’s “past and current” school teachers provided an “opposing opinion”.

“The intimidation relates to an ongoing pattern of violence,” the prosecutor said.

The court was told the foster mother used a wooden spoon to hit the girl and allegedly kicked her while she was on the floor.

The prosecutor told the court there was evidence the foster mother called a friend and said “I need to break her”.

Mr Feather said there were considerable aggravating features involved in the alleged offending, however he conceded it was not a “strong prosecution case”.

William Tyrrell was in the woman’s care when he vanished in 2014.

Ms Ramsden told the court the foster mother had no record and the chances of reoffending were low to none.

The court was told the foster mother suffered from major depression disorder and PTSD, with Mr Feather satisfied she suffered from a mental health impairment.

“The offending occurred during a particularly stressful period for her which had been prolonged,” he said.

The court was told the girl began feeling “left out” and had verbal confrontations with the woman.

A court has been told William Tyrrell’s foster mother allegedly hit a child in her care who was not William.

Mr Feather said the two counts of common assault relate to when the victim was allegedly hit with a wooden spoon and when she was kicked on her left thigh.

“The accused told the victim she was kicked because she believed the child was about to kick the other child,” he said.

“The alleged victim did not kick that child and has denied the intention to do so.”

The magistrate told the court there were multiple aggravating features, including the alleged offending happening in front of another child and because the woman was in a position of trust and authority.

Mr Feather said if the charges had been proven and he were to sentence the foster mother on Thursday, he would have convicted her and given her a community corrections order.

He said he was not satisfied the public interest would be served by dismissing the case and denied the application.

The foster mother will face a three-day hearing alongside her husband in January.

William Tyrrell’s foster father appeared in court on Thursday to support his wife. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The couple were charged in November 2021 with assault and have pleaded not guilty.

After the assault charges were laid, police charged the couple with further alleged offences against a child who is not William.

The man pleaded not guilty to an additional count of intimidation, while the mother pleaded not guilty to the additional charges of common assault and two counts of intimidation.

Neither the alleged victim nor the couple can be identified for legal reasons.

William Tyrrell was in the couple’s care when he vanished in 2014 at his foster grandmother’s house in Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast.

The three-year-old was never found despite years of police work, the interrogation of people of interest and a coronial inquest.

A renewed search took place in December after police said they were focusing on William’s foster mother as a person of interest in the case for the first time.

The foster parents deny any wrongdoing and say they have no knowledge of what happened to William.

Originally published as William Tyrrell’s foster mother accused of hitting and kicking girl