Neighbour mulls adding to William Tyrrell ‘suspects’ suing police

Man who lived near missing toddler is considering suing NSW Police after being pursued as a suspect.

The search for evidence relating to the disappearance William Tyrrell, continues near Batar Creek Road in Kendall. Picture: Trevor Veale

A man who lived across the road from missing toddler William Tyrrell says he is considering suing NSW Police after being pursued as a suspect, as the search for the child’s remains on Sunday uncovered a small piece of fabric near a creek bed.

On Sunday, Kendall resident Paul Savage – who was never charged by police following the disappearance of the toddler in 2014 – told The Australian that he was “waiting for things to settle down” before making a decision.

“It hasn’t been good,” he said. “It’s been a bloody sickening thing for years. Until I see how I can feel I can handle things, it is a matter of time, I suppose. I do hope they find something. It’d be good to have it resolved. Hopefully he’ll be able to rest in peace.”

Last year, NSW Police Detective Gary Jubelin was fined $10,000 and convicted for making illegal recordings of Mr Savage in 2017 and 2018.

Unconfirmed reports also emerged on Sunday of NSW Police spending almost $1m – half in damages and half in legal costs – paying out an unidentified person of interest.

The Australian confirmed that another suspect in the case, William “Bill” Spedding, who is currently suing police, was not the unidentified person in the reports who had reached the settlement. The washing machine repairman, who was accused of abducting the three-year-old, is suing police for malicious prosecution and collateral abuse of process, in the NSW Supreme Court.

Mr Spedding has been attempting to come to a settlement with police before a trial, which has been set for April next year.

It comes as a painstakingly slow search for the remains of William is set to continue, despite up to 80mm of rain scheduled in the area in the next 48 hours. On Sunday, police discovered a small piece of fabric near a creek bed, within one of three areas that have never been searched.

Members from the Public Order Riot Squad and Operational Support Group are assisting five detectives and eight crime scene officers, along with a forensic grave archaeologist, an anthropologist and a hydrologist.

Officers are collecting and analysing any material they discover in the meticulous search. On Sunday, 30 officers were “rotated out” from the search location, with new officers brought in to continue the search in the dense bushland.

The operation is less than 1km from the home of William’s late foster grandmother, from where he went missing in 2014.

On Sunday, Bill Spedding’s lawyer Peter O’Brien told The Australian his client was still in court proceedings with NSW Police.

“Bill Spedding has not yet settled on anything,” he said. “It is a very substantial damages payment that we are seeking. There’s a destruction of a livelihood, a reputation, it’s periods of imprisonment in the magnitude of months for a man who has never ever been charged with or convicted with a single criminal offence.

“If there’s been any sort of settlement of any other pleadings that’s all good and well, but it’s not ours.”

Mr O’Brien said he had been attempting to come to a settlement with police after commencing proceedings in 2019.

“I hope that we can, but it depends very much on whether or not there’s a preparedness to accept the significant damage that was done and compensate for it.”

Last week, police revealed a new person of interest to be William’s foster mother, who cannot be named.

She was also charged with assaulting a child – not William – with police applying for an apprehended violence order. The matter will be heard at Hornsby Local Court on Tuesday.