Gary Jubelin won’t take stand at inquest on William Tyrrell

Former detective Gary Jubelin will not be permitted to take the stand at the inquest into the disappearance of missing foster child, William Tyrrell.

Gary Jubelin arriving at the inquest of William Tyrrell at Lidcombe Coroners Court in Sydney on Tuesday. Picture: Joel Carrett

Former detective Gary Jubelin will not be permitted to take the stand at the inquest into the disappearance of missing foster child William Tyrrell.

NSW deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame said an appearance by Mr Jubelin, who led the investigation into William’s disappearance for four years, would be a “significant distraction”.

Ms Grahame said she was “unaware, really” of what value Mr Jubelin’s testimony could add.

“It would be most improper to think he held back any evidence when he left the investigation (into William’s disappearance),” she said.

Mr Jubelin was removed from the case last year, and later convicted on charges of making illegal recordings of persons of interest.

Ms Grahame said the idea that Mr Jubelin might have withheld information when he left the police force, rather than handing it over, would be “appalling” and there was no evidence that he was keeping things up his sleeve.

“He may well have opinions he wishes to share,” she said. “However, the court is focused on admissible evidence, not opinion.”

Harriet Grahame at the Forensic Medicine and Coroners Court Complex in Sydney. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

“So much work has been done since he was removed 19 months ago.

“The focus must remain on what happened to William.

William’s foster parents, who had the boy in their care when he went missing from outside the house at 48 Benaroon Drive in Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast on September 12, 2014, have remained loyal to Mr Jubelin.

William’s biological parents are less satisfied with his performance.

Mr Jubelin had been keen to give evidence, in part to show the court what was done to try to find William, who is thought to be dead.

If alive, he’d been nine years old.

The inquest into his disappearance, which has been running for 18 months, resumed in Sydney on Tuesday.

Ms Grahame reopened proceedings by welcoming “all those who have loved and cared for William … his family, and his foster family”.

Proceedings are being watched by a convicted paedophile, Mr Frank Abbott, from his jail cell.

Mr Abbott is a key person of interest, since he lived near Kendall, and has a long history of child abuse.

William Tyrrell, 3, before he went missing. Picture: AAP

Mr Craddock told the court it wasn’t important to call Mr Jubelin, because hundreds of police had worked the case.

He said it was “completely and utterly wrong” to suggest that police who worked the case before Mr Jubelin arrived had treated it as a “missing boy.’

“That is just not what happened,” he said.

He said some police, and hundreds of locals, were “desperately searching for William” on the afternoon of his disappearance, but other police “could see that what they were really looking at was a possible abduction”.

“Indeed, the female foster carer herself thought right from the outset,” Mr Craddock said.

“She believed that he had just been picked up and taken away.”

He said local police had gone around asking the neighbours, “Who stands out? Who seems a bit strange?

“It wasn’t because they thought, he’s just wandered off.

“What we’re dealing with here is in all probability a child abduction. But here is nothing Mr Jubelin can tell (the court) about that, because he wasn’t around then.”

Mr Jubelin took over the case five months in.

Among other things, he wanted to give evidence about the huge number of people on the child protection register, but Mr Craddock said “it is not appropriate to have those matters explored publicly”.

There were, he said, “awfully good reasons not to be exposing some material to the public gaze”.

Police search for William Tyrrell at Batar Creek — 4km from where he disappeared — in 2018. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Of the people whose names appear on the child protection register, for example, “most of them have nothing to do with the disappearance of William Tyrrell”.

He said “the investigation isn’t over. The “persons of interest” data base has been continually updated, he added.

“There is nothing useful in terms of evidence that Mr Jubelin is going to be able to give (the court) about that,” he said”

“There’s a lot of water under the bridge since he finished his time on the investigation.”

Plus, he said, Mr Jubelin was not the only person with intimate knowledge of the case.

“Right throughout the investigation, there has benne a dedicated team,” Mr Craddock said.

“In 2020, there remain detectives who are working on his investigation and I mean, now, I mean today, and tomorrow, and the next day, until whenever.”

Some have been “working on the investigation for years”.

“What police do is, they write stuff down. They make statements. They make investigator notes,” he said.

“There’s no indication that there is evidence held by Mr Jubelin which, for whatever reason, he hasn’t been passed on.

“It’s perfectly clear that Mr Jubelin has opinions, and fairly strong ones.

“He was absolutely dedicated to finding out what happened to William Tyrrell, no question about it.

“But (the court) isn’t missing anything because he’s not on the investigation anymore .

Magistrate Grahame agreed. “It’s an appalling suggestion that he would hold anything back,” she said.

The inquest is continuing.