Former William Tyrrell person of interest changes story

A man who was once considered a key person of interest in William Tyrrell’s disappearance has given a new version of his actions.

EXCLUSIVE

A former person of interest in the disappearance of William Tyrrell has given a different version of his actions to what he told police, saying he had “left it a bit longer than I should have” but that it would “come out eventually”.

Speaking exclusively to news.com.au’s podcast on the case Witness: William Tyrrell, Paul Savage said he spotted part of a child’s Spider-Man costume – matching the one William was famously last seen wearing – a day earlier than he had reported to police.

The podcast also reveals covert police recordings made inside Mr Savage’s house, previously tendered in court, in which he talks about William and the investigation. Mr Savage has denied any involvement in what happened to the three-year-old.

In a 2017 police interview, Mr Savage repeatedly claimed to have not seen the suit until the second day it was there while under questioning from former lead detective Gary Jubelin – who urged the retiree to “tell the truth”.

“I know you’re lying,” Mr Jubelin put to him.

“I’m telling you the truth,” Mr Savage replied. “I’ve never seen it the day before.

“Why would I leave it a day and then go down and ring up? Why would I do that?”

He has repeated this version of events over the years since.

Kendall resident Paul Savage. Picture: AAP Image/Peter Lorimer

The last known photo of William.

Now, the 80-year-old has revealed to news.com.au that he did see part of the suit on the first day.

Mr Savage said William came to mind when he saw half the suit but as it was only the top, he thought to himself, “I don’t know about that”, he claimed.

One the second day, when he said he saw the whole suit Mr Savage “thought it was probably his” – meaning William’s.

“I felt hopeful. I hoped we could solve the case,” he said.

Asked why he didn’t tell the police of his sighting on the first day, Mr Savage said: “I’ve left it a bit longer than I should have but it will come out eventually.”

The suit ploy was one of the covert surveillance operations Strike Force Rosann detectives used to gather evidence while Mr Savage was being pursued as a person of interest after William went missing from Kendall in 2014.

Mr Savage still lives across the road from where the little boy vanished just over 10 years ago. He has never been charged and denies any knowledge of what happened to William.

In July 2017, police were hiding unseen as they watched the bushtrack Mr Savage walked each day near his Benaroon Dr home where they had left the suit waiting for him.

Covert images were taken of Paul Savage finding the Spider-Man suit. Picture: Supplied

On the first day of the sting, that team saw him stop and look in the direction of the suit for 12 seconds before continuing on.

Mr Jubelin believed Mr Savage had seen it, and pressed him hard during the 2017 police interview.

“This fascinates me that you can sit here and lie to me like that, when I know and you know you’re telling a lie,” the homicide detective put to him.

Mr Savage maintained he had not seen the suit until the second day: “No, I’m not. I’m not lying. I walked up there, I seen that suit, and I went straight back home.”

Evidence tendered in a separate trial shows police had also been listening in to a bug in Mr Savage’s home and car for several weeks at this point, and would continue to use audio surveillance on him until November 2017.

Paul Savage was accused of being a liar by ex-detective Gary Jubelin (right). Picture: Supplied

Then approaching his mid 70s, Mr Savage had lost his wife Heather and regularly spoke aloud to himself – or appeared to be talking to her. Other times he addressed “God” or “mum”.

On one occasion he was heard seemingly talking about a little boy, “you ran into my place”, and on another he asked his dead wife “don’t dob on me”.

In the car after his 2017 police interview, he was recorded saying: “Make sure you don’t tell anyone, Love,” the court heard.

“They’re right after me. Don’t tell anyone, Love. Please, they’re right after me. Sorry,” Mr Savage continued.

At other times he was recorded saying exculpatory statements: “I couldn’t hurt a kid,” he said, and later “I haven’t deliberately hurt anything or anybody in a long, long time.”

“You’re sick. You bastards want to pin it on me. You can’t do your job so you want to pin it on me,” he was heard to say in October 2017.

“It’s a bloody farce, get him at all costs cos we’ve got nobody else to get … I’m innocent mate.”

Gary Jubelin left the police in 2019. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Mr Savage told news.com.au this month police had not formally spoken with him since Mr Jubelin was taken off the case.

He has never been officially informed whether he is still a person of interest in the investigation.

One detective, Laura Beacroft told the inquest into William’s disappearance in 2020 that she believed Mr Savage was no longer an active person of interest, though at that time Ms Beacroft had left the strike force.

Another detective, Mark Dukes, who is still on Strike Force Rosann told a separate court case in 2019 that Mr Savage “should not be written out”.

Paul Savage have evidence as a witness in the inquest in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Peter Lorimer

“There was no exculpatory evidence that I was aware of that could completely eliminate Paul Savage from the investigation,” he said at the time.

However, police have since revealed they are investigating a theory that William may have died by accident and his foster mother disposed of his body.

The woman, who can’t be identified, has vehemently denied this and has accused police of focusing on her at the expense of finding the person who took William.

This month the coronial inquest into the missing boy’s fate heard police had obtained no forensic evidence or eye witnesses pointing to what happened on the day he vanished.

The inquest is due to sit for a final week-long stretch in December.