NSW Police has reportedly been sued by a man who was wrongly suspected of being involved in the disappearance of William Tyrrell.
William Tyrrell went missing in 2014 from his foster grandmother’s home in Benaroon Drive in Kendall, NSW when he was just three years old. Seven years later, NSW Police has launched a renewed investigation — one of many over the years.
Hundreds of persons of interest were declared in the initial investigation who have since been cleared, and one has reportedly sued NSW Police.
Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell reported that one of the individuals who was a suspect in the disappearance of William Tyrrell (but has since been fully cleared) received a huge payout from NSW Police.
“My understanding is NSW Police have spent close to $1 million after a man wrongly accused in relation to William’s disappearance sued,” Clennell said.
“The man received a settlement worth more than half a million dollars, and with legal costs on top[,] the expense to the public purse has come close to $1 million.
“There are fears another wrongly accused suspect, who was the subject of accusations when Gary Jubelin was in charge of the case, might also sue NSW Police.”
Commissioner Mick Fuller criticised the initial investigation earlier this week on 2GB radio, saying that his team inherited “a bit of a mess” and that time has been “wasted” pursing people that were “clearly” not linked to the crime.
NSW Police being criticised, and even sued, for their handling of cases or individuals isn’t exactly new. Earlier this week, it was reported that two women had launched a settlement against NSW Police after being jailed for months over selling tea, which police wrongly identified as illicit drugs.
In 2020, The Guardian reported that NSW Police paid more than $100 million in legal settlements over four years, with the report labelling some settlements “hush money” due to the confidential nature of cases that have clauses which prevent victims from speaking out about officer misconduct.
“The cost of the payments to taxpayers has never dropped below $20m a year, peaking at $32.6m in 2016-17,” the report reads.
“In the past four years [to 2020] NSW police have handed out $113.5m to settle claims.”
Now, NSW police has revealed another person of interest in William Tyrrell’s case: the boy’s foster mother, who is currently due to appear in court after being charged with allegedly assaulting a child, The Daily Telegraph reports. The charge is unrelated to William’s case.
As the investigation continues, police have returned to Kendall to search for William’s remains. There is still currently a $1 million reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of William’s remains.
