Tyrrell parents seek to recall inquest witnesses

William Tyrrell’s biological parents are seeking to have witnesses recalled to the stand at the ­inquest into his disappearance.

William Tyrrell. Picture: AAP

William Tyrrell’s biological parents are seeking to have witnesses recalled to the stand at the ­inquest into his disappearance.

William, 3, was in the care of foster parents when he went missing­ from outside a house in Benaroon Drive, Kendall, on the mid-north coast of NSW, on Septembe­r 12, 2014. His biological parents knew very little about the circumstances until this year. They weren’t able to question witnesses during the first part of the inquest, in March, because they did not then have a lawyer.

NSW Legal Aid has since provided­ funds, and Michelle Swift, who is now acting for the father­, rose at the close of yesterday’s proceedings to say she had raised several issues of concern, and was waiting for answers.

“There may be circumstances in which I will have to have a witnes­s recalled,” Ms Swift said.

It was not clear who she wanted to question, but witnesses in the first week included William’s ­foster parents; the biological ­parents themselves; and SES personne­l who helped search for William.

Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame acknowledged that Ms Swift had “come to this matter late” and, because of this, new questions for old witnesses were likely to be permitted.

The inquest took testimony yesterday from two former friends, who argued over whether one of them had claimed to have seen a white car being driven ­erratically in Kendall on the morning of William’s disappearance. A Kendall local, Tim Palmer, said he had been visiting his old mate, Mick McInally, in June last year when the subject of William’s disappearance came up.

A forensic search for the boy was under way at the time, and townsfolk were transfixed by the hundreds of police making their way through the bush and the local cemetery, trying to find traces­ of him. Mr Palmer said Mr McInally had “confided” in him that he saw a man in a white Holden Commodore driving erratically with one hand, while “trying to push something down in the passenger seat footwell”. He said Mr McInally hadn’t reported it to police, ­because he was high on ice at the time.

He said Mr McInally, who was then living on Batar Creek Road, near where William went missing, “saw a white car driving sort of crazily” because the driver was trying to “push somebody down”.

Mr Palmer said he reported the conversation to police on June 15 last year, because “the story was too much not to tell”. Mr McInally denied that the conversation took place as described­, saying he had been to a doctor on the morning of William’s disappearance, and had noticed a white Commodore close to Kendall post office, which is some distance from Benaroon Drive.

He told the court he could not read or write, and had difficulty reading a map shown on the court screen, but he said he thought the driver was waving an arm, not pushing something down.

He said the conversation with Mr Palmer had occurred “when I was in a drunk state, I don’t even remember the conversation, not much if at all”.

The inquest is continuing.