William Tyrrell’s foster parents learn fate over assault, intimidation charges against different child

William Tyrrell’s foster parents have learnt their fate over allegations they assaulted and intimidated a different child.

The former foster parents of missing toddler William Tyrell have learnt their fate over allegations the pair assaulted and intimidated a different child.

The former foster mother, 58, was found guilty of two occasions of intimidation but cleared of other interactions, having earlier admitted to two assault charges.

For his part, William’s 56-year-old former foster father was found guilty of intimidation but acquitted of assault having pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The charges arose from 1000 hours of secretly recorded audio captured by police surveillance devices placed in the couple’s car and home over 14 months.

The child, who was aged between 10-11 at the time of the allegations, was removed from the couple’s home in November 2021, shortly before charges were laid.

There is no suggestions the charges are connected with the disappearance of William Tyrrell, nor that the pair are accused of any wrongdoing in relation to him.

Magistrate Susan McIntyre told the court that while the foster father had used physical force to enforce a 44-minute time-out, it amounted to lawful use of force.

William Tyrrell disappeared from the Mid North Coast in 2014. NSW Police

Police had alleged the 56-year-old had placed his hands around the young girl’s throat following interviews with Homicide Squad and Child Protective Services.

Ms McIntyre instead sided with assertions by lawyer Phillip English that the man pushed the child down after she told the couple she was going to leave.

Conversely, Ms McIntyre did find the man’s actions during an earlier argument in late-2020 inside the foster father’s car did amount to a criminal offence.

The court was told the foster father had sworn and shouted at the child causing her to cry loudly while on the way to school in an interaction caught on police audio.

The foster father could be heard in the audio telling the child “every f*****g day” and later to “move, f*****g, move”, before allegedly driving furiously to school.

“The defence submits these are transitory words of a frustrated parent … Whilst it is not necessary to prove they was scared her ‘wail’ speaks for itself,” she said.

The audio further captured allegations admitted to by the foster mother, namely that on separate occasions she kicked and hit the child with a wooden spoon.

William Tyrrell’s foster parents returned to court on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The judgment on Friday instead focused on two allegations of intimidation which related on six separate instances over the 14 months the home was bugged.

Ms McIntyre questioned assertions by the police prosecutor that an argument about the child’s room in January 2021 amounted to criminal intimidation.

The court was told the woman told the child “you have no voice until I tell you”, but that the comments flowed on from comments about the state of the room.

Similar arguments were the subject of further intimidation allegations, including about the dishwasher, but Ms McIntyre said lacked context of the situation.

She described the dynamics as not being dissimilar from a normal family and the complainant's actions were indicative of a frustrated and defiant young child.

The foster mother gave evidence to police the home environment was tense and what she “didn’t do was walk away when it turned into screaming” with the child.

The woman was ultimately found guilty of two occasions of criminal intimidation relating to threats to slap the child during heated arguments between the pair.

After one instance, the woman later told the child that: “I shouldn't have to get to the point where I have to threaten to hurt you, that is a massive problem.”

William Tyrrell vanished from his foster grandparent's home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast in September 2014, sparking the state’s largest ever manhunt.

Almost a decade later, police are seemingly no closer to finding the missing toddler and are yet to charge anyone in relation to the three-year-old’s disappearance.

The couple will return to court on March 27 for sentencing.

Originally published as William Tyrrell’s foster parents learn fate over assault, intimidation charges against different child