I didn’t do it: William Tyrrell’s foster mum insists on her innocence

William Tyrrell’s foster mother has again insisted that she ‘had nothing to do with his disappearance’ amid speculation that police are preparing to lay charges.

William Tyrrell wearing the actual Spiderman suit in which he disappeared in. Picture: Supplied

William Tyrrell’s foster mother has again insisted that she “had nothing to do with his disappearance”.

Her statement, issued via her lawyer this morning, comes after speculation about whether NSW Police have gathered enough information to charge her with interfering with the boy’s corpse.

Tyrrell was a three-year-old foster child when he went missing from the quiet village of Kendall on 12 September 2014.

He was in the care of his foster Mum at the time, as well as her mother (his foster grandmother).

His foster Dad has always said he was away from the house, making a Skype call for work.

Local police initially treated him like a missing boy, who had wandered into nearby bushland, and gotten lost. Over time, it became apparent that something must have happened to him.

Police followed several leads over many years before landing on his foster Mum, who cannot be named, as a possible suspect. As part of their investigation, she was charged with hitting another child (not William).

The foster mother of William Tyrrell with her husband, who says he was away from the house in Kendall when William disappeared. Neither party can be identified for legal reasons. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

NSW Police want charges laid against her, in relation to William’s disappearance. Detectives have been telling reporters off-the-record that he may have fallen from a second-storey balcony at the Kendall property; and they say his foster mum might have hidden his body, rather than face possible charges, and her status as a foster carer.

She has always described this scenario as false, saying William was playing on the back deck when he ran around the corner of the house, roared like a tiger, and disappeared.

In this morning’s statement, Sharon Ramsden, the legal representative of William Tyrrell’s foster mother, said she had contacted detectives from Strike force Rosann, which was established to investigate the matter, “directly seeking confirmation that a brief of evidence has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for the purpose of consideration of criminal proceedings in respect of William’s disappearance.

“The media was advised that a brief of evidence was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, but (police) failed to inform the foster mother of William Tyrrell or her legal representatives that they had done so,” the statement said.

“William’s disappearance has been under investigation for nine years without charges having been laid to date.

“His foster mother had previously been ruled out of any wrongdoing in relation to his disappearance.”

One of the original “persons of interest” a local washing machine repairman named Bill Spedding won a million dollar settlement after accusing NSW police of destroying his life by implicating him in the case. No charges were ever laid against him.

William Spedding and his wife Margaret sued for malicious prosecution after he was charged with historical sex offences as part of the Tyrrell investigation. He was never found guilty of any crimes.

“William’s foster mother and her legal representatives urge the Director of Public Prosecutions to expeditiously determine whether charges are to be laid.

“The foster mother and her legal representatives call for disclosure of the evidence which police suggest forms the basis of any criminal proceedings.

“To date, William’s body has never been found.

“The foster mother has always, and maintains, she has nothing to do with William’s disappearance. She desperately urges the Police to resume the investigation into finding out what happened to William.”

If alive, William would have been 12 years old this week. Police believe that he is dead. The only person so far charged with any offences related to William’s disappearance is the former lead detective, Gary Jubelin, who recorded a number of conversations with a different suspect, without permission. He has since left the NSW police force.

Gary Jubelin speaking on the podcast I Catch Killers. He was the former lead detective on the Tyrrell case.

To date, the only person charged with any offence in relation to William’s disappearance is the former lead detective, Gary Jubelin, who was convicted of four offences, after making illegal recordings of a quite different “person of interest.”

Jubelin quit the NSW police force after being charged, and now has a new, better-paying career as a podcast host, and TV star.

In his absence, the focus of the investigation shifted toward the foster parents.

A new set of detectives put listening devices in their home, and on their phones. And, they say, those listening devices caught the foster Mum kicking and hitting another child with a wooden spoon.

Last year, both foster parents were charged with assault (the foster Dad is accused of grabbing the same child by the neck). Police also charged the foster Mum with lying about the alleged assault; she’s been cleared of that charge, but it was during the trial that NSW detective sergeant Andrew Lonergan first admitted that he had “formed the view that (she) knows where William Tyrrell is.”

The pressure on the couple is intense, and appears to be financial, as well as emotional. They have sold their plush home, and downsized. A Facebook marketplace page operated by the foster dad sells such items as rolls of used carpet, gutter guards, child-size flotation vests, and a rainbow-coloured toy ukelele.