Bill Spedding, person of interest in William Tyrrell disappearance, granted bail over child rape charges
Bill Spedding, a person of interest in the disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell, has been granted bail over a spate of alleged child rapes in 1987.
WASHING machine repairman Bill Spedding has been granted bail in the Supreme Court over alleged child rapes in 1987.
Mr Spedding, who is also a person of interest regarding the disappearance of toddler William Tyrrell, relied on $100,000 in surety posted in the form of his brother’s life savings.
He will be released from Cessnock prison’s maximum security centre today.
Mr Spedding’s wife Margaret provided a letter to the court in which she wrote there would be “no children residing or visiting the residence” if the 64-year-old was granted bail.
Justice Geoffrey Bellew rejected the crown’s submission that they had a strong case against Mr Spedding.
He also said his role as a person of interest in the suspected abduction of William Tyrrell as irrelevant.
The court heard that Mr Spedding spent the night at the home of one of the complainants about six months ago and played with her young daughter.
“It just didn’t feel right...it felt really awkward,” the complainant said in police interviews.
Justice Bellew ordered that Mr Spedding be of good behaviour, continue living at his Bonny Hills home and inform police of any plans to change address.
He is also required to report daily to Port Macquarie police and is prevented from contacting children, applying for a passport, or going within 3km of a point of international departure.
He is next due to front Campbelltown local court on July 29.
Mr Spedding’s lawyer Peter O’Brien told the court on Wednesday that another person, “a known paedophile” was responsible for the sexual assaults on the young victims.
That man has been named as Jeffrey John Hillsley. Hillsley is currently serving a life sentence after murdering a man and raping his stepdaughter, aged 10.
Police have stressed that the historic child sex charges against Mr Spedding are not related to William’s disappearance.
More to come.
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