William Tyrrell inquest to resume after major delays

William Tyrrell’s loved ones are a step closer to receiving answers to one of Australia’s most notorious missing persons cases.

With the 10-year anniversary of William Tyrrell’s disappearance approaching, the missing boy’s loved ones took a step closer to receiving answers on Tuesday.

The long-running inquest, which has been beset by protracted delays, has been set down for a final block of hearings at the end of this year.

The three-year-old vanished from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall on September 12, 2014, in what has become one of Australia’s most notorious missing persons cases.

An inquest before Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame – examining William’s disappearance and suspected death – was last year delayed as prosecutors weighed up charges against the boy’s foster mother.

Police began investigating a theory that William had died in an accidental fall from a balcony and the foster mother had disposed of the body.

William’s foster mother and father have continuously denied the allegation and any wrongdoing.

An inquest is examining the disappearance of William Tyrrell from his foster grandmother’s house. Picture: Supplied

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.

However, it was pushed back as prosecutors weighed up evidence concerning the missing boy’s foster mother, who has denied that she has any knowledge of his disappearance.

The inquest is now scheduled to resume with another block of hearings later this year.

During a directions hearing at the NSW Coroner’s Court at Lidcombe on Tuesday, Ms Grahame confirmed the dates for the final block of hearings – in the weeks starting November 4 and December 16.

The final pieces of evidence in the inquest will now be heard just before Christmas this year, with the coroner to hand down her findings at a later date.

The court was told on Tuesday that the witness list and list of issues was set to be finalised by this week.

The inquest was previously pushed back after police began fresh investigations that involved searching around Kendall, the sleepy NSW Mid North Coast town where William was last seen.

William’s foster father and mother have denied any wrongdoing. Picture: NewsWire/David Swift

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

In court on Tuesday, Ms Grahame was handed a letter from the DPP, outlining the status of that request for advice.

In the letter, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Sally Dowling SC, said that NSW Police had in April asked her office to “suspend” its request for advice until the conclusion of the final block of inquest hearings.

William’s foster parents continue to deny any wrongdoing and the foster mother has not been charged.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Gerard Craddock SC, last September told the court that it was expected that the DPP’s advice would be delivered to police by January this year.

However, that deadline came and went.

In September last year, the foster parents’ solicitor Rylie Hahn called for police to disclose any evidence.

The Kendall house where William Tyrrell disappeared from. Picture: NewsWire / Peter Lorimer.

Police and volunteers searching in and around Kendall in late 2021. Picture: NewsWire/Peter Lorimer.

“William’s foster mother and foster father hold the position of calling for the disclosure of evidence which police suggest forms the basis of criminal proceedings,” Ms Hahn said last year.

“We are midway through the inquest and William remains missing and his case unsolved.

“William’s 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.”

Police, volunteers and Strike Force Rosann 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.

William’s foster mother was in 2022 found not guilty of lying to the NSW Crime Commission.

William’s foster father was in November last year also acquitted of five counts of lying to the NSW Crime Commission.

The court was told at the time that during the Crime Commission hearing, counsel assisting, Sophie Callan SC, questioned the foster mother about whether William had fallen from the balcony and she had disposed of the body.

The couple denied any wrongdoing or disposing of his corpse.