Tyrrell foster parents fight back over intimidation convictions

William Tyrrell’s foster parents will appear in court later this year to appeal against their convictions and sentences for assaulting a child who is not William.

William Tyrrell’s foster parents have launched an appeal against their convictions and sentences after they were handed good behaviour bonds for intimidating a child.

The foster mother and foster father’s matters were on Wednesday mentioned before Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court as they seek to have their convictions quashed for a number of offences relating to a child, who is not William.

Neither foster parent can be identified.

The charges arose after police planted surveillance devices in their home and car and secretly recorded 1000 hours of audio over 14 months as part of Strike Force Rosann, which was set up to investigate William’s disappearance, the court has previously heard.

The foster father was earlier this year found guilty of one count of intimidating the child.

The court was told the foster father had sworn and shouted at the child, causing the child to cry while on the way to school.

William Tyrrell’s foster parents are appealing their convictions and sentences. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone.

William Tyrrell disappeared from outside his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall. Supplied.

The foster mother was found guilty of intimidation, while another similar count of intimidation was dismissed by Magistrate Susan McIntyre earlier this year following a hearing.

The woman was found guilty of intimidation relating to threats to slap the child during heated arguments.

The woman was also sentenced for two counts of assault after she pleaded guilty to kicking the child and hitting them with a wooden spoon.

Despite their lawyers pushing for the matters to be dealt with by way of non-convictions, they were convicted and both were sentenced to 12-month orders to be served in the community.

The foster mother was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, while the foster father was handed a 12-month good behaviour bond.

The foster parents will face an appeal hearing later this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nikki Short.

The foster parents have now launched an appeal against both their sentences and convictions, with the matter mentioned briefly in the District Court on Wednesday.

The matter will return to court later this month before an appeal hearing at a later date.

William hasn’t been seen since vanishing as a three-year-old in 2014 while at his foster grandmother’s home at Kendall on the NSW Mid-North Coast in one of the country’s most high profile missing persons cases.

No one has ever been charged over William’s disappearance and the foster parents deny any knowledge or involvement.

Originally published as Tyrrell foster parents fight back over intimidation convictions