William Tyrrell’s foster mother was asked pointed questions about “what she did with William’s body” during a secret NSW Crime Commission hearing, a court has heard.
The missing little boy’s foster parents appeared in a Sydney court on Monday, where the foster father was charged with five counts of lying to the Crime Commission – a secretive government body – during a 2021 hearing into William’s disappearance.
The foster father’s attorney, Phillip English, read to the court a series of questions asked by William’s foster mother during the hearing, including: “Did you find his body in the ferns and foliage under the porch that day?”
The foster mother – who can only be identified by the initials ‘SD’ for legal reasons – was also asked: ‘Have you found his body and do you realize that he has died and there is no point in calling the emergency services?’
Another question asked of SD was, “I want you to imagine what happened that day when William was walking around on that porch and fell over and it was no one’s fault.”
Each of the questions was accompanied by the foster mother’s steadfast denial that she had any knowledge of William Tyrrell’s disappearance in September 2014, or of his injury, disappearance and death.
William Tyrrell’s foster father faces five charges of lying to the NSW Crime Commission
William Tyrrell disappeared as a three-year-old and has not been seen since September 12, 2014, making the case Australia’s most notorious missing person case.
No one has ever been charged in his disappearance.
Despite Monday’s hearing on charges against the foster father, much of the evidence heard in court related to William’s foster mother.
Cross-examining a police officer on Monday, the foster father’s lawyer, Phillip English, explained to the court how it had been suggested to the foster mother at a Crime Commission hearing that she “may have found William’s body near a riding school dumped’.
Counsel assisting the Crime Commission, Sophie Callan, then asked the foster mother: “Did you take his body to the riding school in Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast)?”
SD replied: ‘No’.
SD was then asked, “Did you decide to resolve the situation that was beyond repair?” and ‘you decided to resolve the situation and hide his body rather than let your (SD)’s mother… take responsibility’.
SD denied both statements submitted to it. They involved William Tyrrell’s foster grandmother, who owned the house from which he disappeared and has since died.
Mrs. Callan then told the foster mother that the SD found William’s body “and you put his body in your mother’s car, and that’s why you drove the car that day (to Kendall’s nearby riding school)?” ‘
Ms Callan then said: ‘To be clear, there is no suggestion that you injured him or caused his death, only that you moved his body.’
The foster mother denied Ms. Callen’s allegations: “No, I didn’t do that.”
The foster father was secretly questioned by the Crime Commission in 2021 over William’s disappearance in 2014 and an alleged attack on another child
The Crime Commission’s questioning of the foster mother came after she was stopped at the door by two detectives with a summons to appear before her, the court heard.
The foster father was also summoned to appear, but the court heard he was never a person of interest in William’s disappearance.
The questioning of both foster parents about William’s case in 2021 came just before police renewed their efforts to find the missing boy’s remains.
Tyrrell’s foster mother was found not guilty of lying to the NSW Crime Commission last year after a hearing in which police alleged she falsely stated during her testimony that she had not hit a child – who is not William – with a wooden spoon .
Death of William Tyrrell: ‘Manslaughter’ investigated
The court hearing was told that when Detective Sergeant Andrew Lonergan served the SD summons at her home, another Detective Sergeant Scott Jamieson told her: ‘We’re not here to bluff, let me tell you.
‘We don’t guess. We don’t bluff. We know how, we know why, we know where he is.”
Detective Lonergan told SD, “I can tell you something… it’s not personal, it’s about finding out what happened to William,” to which Det. Jamieson added: “Make a decision today for William and no one else. We know you’re a good person.’
Longeran told SD, “We know William was loved, deeply loved,” and SD responded, “I’m trying to breathe.” So you’re basically saying that you believe I hurt William.”
Under cross-examination on Monday by Mr English, Detective Inspector Lonergan said the strike force investigating William’s disappearance had considered it to be a case of manslaughter, or a case of an accident involving William followed by the disposal of his body.
William’s foster mother (left) was found not guilty of lying to the NSW Crime Commission and now her husband, JS (right), is being taken to court on a similar charge
Det. Lonergan said that if there had been an accident and then “no first aid had been given,” that could also be considered a case of possible manslaughter.
Pressed by Mr. English about police theories about William Tyrrell’s fate over the years, Det. Lonergan said “we just don’t know what happened.”
The case will return to court on Tuesday.