Foster parents to fight child assault charge

William Tyrrell’s foster parents are expected to fight charges of assaulting a child by arguing the alleged victim may have fallen from a horse.

A NSW police officer photographs possible evidence during the search near where William Tyrrell went missing in Kendall in 2014. Picture: AAP

William Tyrrell’s foster parents are expected to fight charges of ­assaulting a child by arguing that the alleged victim may have fallen from a horse.

The couple, who cannot be named, were on Wednesday charged with common assault.

The alleged child victim also ­cannot be identified.

William Tyrell’s biological mother told the boy’s father about the new police probe.

The Australian understands the foster parents vehemently deny doing any harm to the child.

NSW police in a statement said they began an investigation after being made aware of “the suspected assault of a child at a home on Sydney’s Upper North Shore”.

Meanwhile, it emerged that William’s biological father has only heard about developments in the investigation into his son’s ­disappearance via Facebook.

He recently spent time in prison, and while he has seen messages from his family members, he is yet to ­respond. His mother – William’s grandmother – said he had been “destroyed by what happened to William”.

“He had never been to prison before this happened. His life has been wrecked, and my life has been wrecked,” she said. “He was in prison, then he got out. He spent a few days in accommodation they arranged for him, and now we don’t know where he is.

“William’s mum had to tell him on Facebook what had happened. I know he saw the message but I don’t know how he is feeling.

“We have lived with this for seven years and now we want to stand up and say what we believe about the case.”

William Tyrrell

William was removed from the care of his parents when he was nine months old.

“I have always said we would find out what happened,” his grandmother said.

No family member can be named because William was in foster care when he went missing.

His grandmother said she was “sick of fighting for him with my face all covered up”.

William disappeared in 2014 from his foster grandmother’s house in Kendall in mid-northern NSW and has never been found.

The police investigation targeted the car of William Tyrrell’s former foster grandmother.