Final hearing dates for William Tyrrell inquest vacated

There has been an unexpected twist in the inquest into the disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell.

The final hearing dates of a coronial inquest into the disappearance of William Tyrrell have been cancelled, leaving several big questions unanswered.

Evidence was due to resume on Monday for the last week of hearings but those dates will no longer go ahead, news.com.au can reveal.

A spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame “has closed the evidence in this inquest”.

Ms Grahame has yet to fix a date to deliver her findings.

William Tyrrell who has been missing from a Kendall home since 2014. Picture: Police Media

William was reported missing from his foster grandmother’s home on Benaroon Dr, Kendall on the morning of September 12, 2014.

The mystery surrounding the three-year-old’s fate has endured for a decade, and it was hoped the final tranche of a drawn-out inquest could provide a breakthrough.

Lidcombe Coroner’s Court heard in November that the NSW Police’s Strike Force Rosann had still not uncovered any forensic or eyewitness evidence as to how William went missing.

It heard detectives were at one stage investigating a theory that the boy “must have died in a fall” and his foster mother hid his body out of fear of losing access to another child in her care.

William, 3, was reported missing by his foster mother. Picture: Supplied

The woman, who can’t be identified, has repeatedly denied having anything to do with William’s disappearance.

In November news.com.au’s investigative podcast Witness: William Tyrrell revealed Ms Grahame had refused a request for lead detective David Laidlaw to give evidence at the inquest.

The inquest also censored more than 150 pages of Detective Chief Inspector Laidlaw’s statement, which was obtained by news.com.au, because those sections contain “opinions” not “proper fact-finding”, according to the senior lawyer assisting the inquest.

The decision to bring the evidence to an abrupt end leaves several major questions unanswered, 10 years on from William’s disappearance. They include:

What happened to William?

After more than 10 years of police investigation, there is still no evidence of what happened to him.

The inquest heard “it’s beyond any argument now that William Tyrrell has not been found”.

Counsel Assisting Gerard Craddock SC said it was also “beyond argument that no forensic evidence has been located at ... Benaroon Drive or anywhere else that provides a clue to his disappearance”.

“It’s beyond argument that there is no eyewitness who has provided an account of how William left the boundaries of ... Benaroon Drive”.

What happened to the police investigation?

The inquest held what was supposed to be its last hearing in October 2020 – then there was a four-year delay while the police focused on a theory that William’s foster mother may have been involved in the disappearance of William.

The foster mother denied the claim and no charges were ever laid.

When the inquest resumed this year, the coroner refused to hear evidence from the lead detective, David Laidlaw.

The inquest also censored around 150 pages of his written statement, meaning this evidence will not become public.

The senior lawyer working with the coroner said this was done because the statement contained “opinions” not “proper fact-finding processes”.

The foster parents of William Tyrell depart the coroners court in November. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

What about the different ‘persons of interest’?

According to David Laidlaw’s statement, “several individuals nominated as high-risk persons of interest were identified” during the police investigation and inquest. Each of these were investigated and “at the present date, no evidence has emerged to indicate that any of these individuals were implicated in or possess knowledge of William’s disappearance”. The statement does not say if any of these people have been ruled out, however.

What about the latest police theory?

William’s foster mother has been questioned over whether the three-year-old died in a fall from the balcony at the house where he was staying in Kendall.

One detective on the strike force has also said in court he believes William’s foster mother subsequently disposed of his body, and the boy is buried at a nearby crossroads.

The inquest has heard no evidence to support this.

Will the coroner investigate the police?

The coroner has said she will not investigate the police investigation, and two of the three detectives who have led it over the past decade have never been called to give evidence at the inquest.

What about the cars seen outside the house where William was reported missing?

William’s foster mother claimed to have seen three cars earlier that morning outside the house where they were staying.

She said two of these were parked on the road outside and a third turned around in the road and drove away.

The police have not been able to identify these cars and some, including in the police, have questioned the accuracy of this evidence.

What about the boy seen being driven away that morning?

A Kendall man, Ron Chapman, said he saw two cars being driven fast through the town on the morning William was reported missing.

He said one of these had a child in the back wearing a red and blue suit, similar to the Spider-Man suit William was wearing.

Mr Chapman did not speak to police about this for months, however, and was not interviewed in detail by detectives for almost three years.

He has since told news.com.au he is certain what he saw that morning.

[e-mail]