‘We couldn’t believe this was happening to us’: Bill Spedding and wife testify at Tyrrell inquest

Margaret and Bill Spedding were rattled when police searched their home, business and drained their tank after William Tyrrell disappeared.

Bill Spedding, a one-time person-of-interest in the disappearance of toddler William Tyrrell, says the intense police and media scrutiny he’s endured has had a devastating effect on him and his family.

Flanked by his wife, Margaret, and his lawyer, Peter O’Brien, Spedding today said he had told police and a NSW coroner everything he could to help them find William.

The three-year-old went missing from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall on the New South Wales mid-north coast about 10.15am on September 12 in 2014.

Mr Spedding, a whitegoods repairman, had visited the home three days earlier to fix a washing machine. He has always vehemently publicly denied any involvement and has never been charged.

Bill and Margaret Spedding arrive at the NSW Coroners Court. Picture: AAP/Peter Rae

Three-year-old William Tyrrell loved dressing up as Spider-Man.

“Obviously the police, and the investigation and the media interest in mine and Margaret’s movements have had a devastating impact on my life, my family’s life and livelihood,” he told reporters outside the NSW Coroners Court.

“I thank my family, friends and legal team in getting me through this.

“I know what I’ve been through is nothing compared to what William’s family are going through now.”

A receipt tendered during evidence from Mr and Mrs Spedding. Picture: NSW Coroners Court

The inquest today heard that on the day William went missing, Mr Spedding and his wife met for coffee about 9.30am in Laurieton, a 15-minute drive from Kendall.

They each had a coffee and shared some food before walking across the road for the local school’s assembly, where a child they cared for was to receive an award.

But detectives were interested in their movements and in January 2015 they searched Mr Spedding’s Bonny Hills home and his Laurieton business.

Items were taken for testing and the home’s septic tank was drained.

No forensic evidence was found linking William’s disappearance to Mr Spedding, who has never been charged and has always vehemently denied any involvement.