‘Hundreds of years’: Court hears key in William Tyrrell mystery

The inquest into the disappearance of William Tyrrell has heard there is no forensic evidence pointing to the fate of the young boy, 10 years after his disappearance.

William Tyrrell’s Spider-Man suit would have taken hundreds of years to break down and no traces of the little boy were found during a painstaking forensic search of the Kendall area, an inquest has heard.

William’s disappearance, from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast on September 12, 2014, is being probed by a long-running inquest before Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame.

After long delays, the inquest has returned to the NSW Coroner’s Court at Lidcombe for what will be the fifth block of hearings.

The final tranche of hearings is focusing in on a police theory that William died in an accidental fall from a veranda and his foster mother covered up the accident by disposing of his body.

It’s an allegation that has been persistently and vehemently denied by the foster mother.

William Tyrrell disappeared more than a decade ago. Picture: Supplied

THE SEARCH

The police theory prompted a renewed forensic search around Kendall, including the crossroads of Batar Creek Rd and Cobb and Co Rd in late 2021.

“It’s beyond any argument now that William Tyrrell has not been found,” Counsel assisting Gerard Craddock told the court.

“It’s beyond argument that no forensic evidence has been located at 48 Benaroon Drive or anywhere else that provides a clue to William’s disappearance.”

After clearing thick vegetation, police and volunteers sifted through leaf litter and soil by hand during the search.

The area was covered in lantana and other thick vegetation, making it hard to push into the overgrowth, the court was told.

Water science expert Professor Jon Olley was brought in by NSW Police as a consultant during the dig.

“In summary it was fair to say the search described was extremely thorough,” asked barrister John Stratton SC, who is appearing for William’s foster parents.

“It was an extremely thorough search,” Professor Olley said.

He told the court that a polyester suit similar to the Spider-Man outfit William was wearing on the day he disappeared would have taken centuries to degrade.

“The estimate is hundreds of years,” Professor Olley said.

The court has heard that no traces of William have ever been found, however the search did uncover animal bones including kangaroo limbs.

The court heard that Professor Olley also sent an email to a wildlife expert at the Department of Primary Industries asking if any bones could have been taken by pigs and wild dogs.

A search of the area around Cobb and Co and Batar Creek Road in late 2021. Picture: NewsWire/Peter Lorimer.

ACCIDENTAL FALL

The court was told police believed that William died in an accidental fall and his foster mother disposed of his body in nearby bushland at the corner of Batar Creek Rd and Cobb and Co Rd.

Counsel assisting Gerard Craddock SC told the court that according to the police theory, the foster mother then returned to her mother’s home at Benaroon Drive and phoned triple-0.

“The evidence in tranche five will look at that theory,” Mr Craddock said.

The court was told that police believed the foster mother “resolved” to dispose of William because she feared losing another foster child in her care.

The foster mother has persistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

The court was told that the inquest would hear evidence from a truck driver who was driving in the vicinity of Batar Creek Rd and Cobb and Co Rd on September 12, 2014.

The foster mother’s evidence to the NSW Crime Commission will also be played to the court.

Mr Craddock told the court that police theories could be wrong.

He noted earlier police theories that washing machine repairman Bill Speeding was a person of interest.

Mr Spedding was in 2022 awarded $1.5m in damages after successfully suing the State of NSW for malicious prosecution after police attempted to prosecute him for an unrelated historical sexual assault matter.

At the time he was the prime suspect in William’s disappearance.

Mr Spedding was subsequently acquitted of the sexual assault charges in 2018, with another court previously finding the allegations were the result of “coaching” and “programming”.

William’s foster father (left) and foster mother (second from right). Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

He was cleared of having any involvement in William’s disappearance and the court found that his attempted prosecution was an attempt to put pressure on him during the Tyrrell investigation.

“A police officer’s belief may be right or wrong,” Mr Craddock told the court during opening submissions on Monday.

“A coroner can’t act on the express belief of a police investigator.”

Mr Craddock has provided the court with an overview of the evidence prevented in the first four tranches of the inquest.

William’s foster mother phoned triple-0 at 10.56am on September 12, 2014, shortly after she raised the alarm with neighbours who began searching surrounding properties.

The court was told much of the nearby bushland was overgrown and impenetrable.

Mr Craddock said the court could conclude that William “under his own steam” could not have roamed beyond the area that was searched in the hours afterwards.

“What arises from the evidence is that there was nothing haphazard about the search for William, it was methodical and thorough,” Mr Craddock said.

THE POLICE THEORY

The inquest ran for 18 months before it was adjourned in October 2020 and Ms Grahame’s findings were due to be handed down in June 2021.

Before her findings could be made public, police began investigating a theory that William had died in an accidental fall from a balcony and the boy’s foster mother had hidden his body.

The foster mother – who cannot be named for legal reasons – has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of how William went missing.

The home formerly owned by William’s foster grandmother. Picture: NewsWire/Peter Lorimer.

No charges relating to William’s disappearance have ever been laid.

Last year, police handed a brief of evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions seeking advice on whether William’s foster mother could be charged with perverting the course of justice and interfering with a corpse.

In a letter previously tendered to the court, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sally Dowling SC, said NSW Police had asked her office to “suspend” its request for advice until the conclusion of the inquest hearings.

The foster parents’ solicitor Rylie Hahn previously said the foster mother “maintains she had nothing to do with his disappearance … and asks the police to continue to look for William and what happened to him.”

In November 2022, the foster mother appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court where she was found not guilty of lying to the NSW Crime Commission.

The court was told that the foster mother was hauled before the secretive crime commission and probed about William’s disappearance.

William’s foster father and mother. Picture: NewsWire/Nikki Short

The court was told that during the Crime Commission hearing, counsel assisting Sophie Callan put the allegation to the foster mother that William died when he fell from the veranda of his foster grandmother’s home.

The court was told that the foster mother responded: “No, I would have found him.”

The foster mother also denied using the foster grandmother’s car to dispose of William’s body.

During the same Local Court hearing, Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan said he believed that William had been buried in an area on the corner of Batar Creek Rd and Cobb and Co Rd on the outskirts of Kendall.

Police, volunteers and detectives in late 2021 began a fresh dig for evidence in and around Kendall.

Teams scoured the garden of his foster grandmother’s home and nearby bushland.

Nothing was found.

Originally published as ‘Hundreds of years’: Court hears key in William Tyrrell mystery