Former cop boss says police had ‘multiple persons of interest' in William Tyrrell investigation
The former NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller has confirmed detectives were looking at multiple 'persons of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation at a time police and media were saying publicly the focus was on only one - the boy's foster mother.
It comes after an inquest into the three-year-old's disappearance found it was 'beyond argument' police have found no forensic or eyewitness evidence of what happened to William.
The NSW Police Force has also declined to answer questions about whether detectives intend to charge the foster mother, who cannot be named, almost four years after a leaked front-page story described them as 'confident they have cracked the case'.
Mr Fuller, who left the force in 2022, was speaking after a series of bombshell reports from news.com.au's Witness: William Tyrrell podcast revealed evidence about one former person of interest, Frank Abbott, has not been followed up by detectives.
Abbott, who is currently in prison for sexually abusing children, was the subject of intense focus during a long-running inquest into William's 2014 disappearance but was not called to answer questions in public.
In September 2021, unidentified police sources told reporters they were focused on William's foster mother, with one newspaper describing her as 'the new suspect' and saying 'police are now confident they will solve the mystery'.
In November 2021, Mr Fuller gave a radio interview confirming 'there is one person, in particular, we are looking closely at' and describing the strike force running the investigation as one of the 'best teams we've seen'.
Other media reports the same day described William's foster mother as 'the chief suspect' in the investigation.
William's foster mother has always denied any involvement in what happened to him and has criticised police for not looking elsewhere.
Speaking previously to the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast, Mr Fuller said he had his last briefing on the case shortly before leaving the force in January 2022, when 'they still had around 10 persons of interest that they were looking at'.
In the aftermath of the recent revelations, he confirmed that, 'at some point late 2021, I received a briefing and there were still a number of persons of interest. I believe that was down to single figures though.'
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Fuller said the current lead detective, David Laidlaw, had reduced that number from close to a thousand people originally identified as 'persons of interest' by police.
'I think it's important to note when Detective Chief Inspector Laidlaw led the task force, they started fresh and had identified over 900 plus persons of interest,' Mr Fuller said.
During a public hearing last November, the long-running inquest into William's disappearance and likely death publicly reviewed evidence gathered by police during their investigation of his foster mother.
'It's beyond argument that no forensic evidence has been located … that provides a clue to his disappearance,' said counsel assisting the inquest, Gerard Craddock SC.
'It's beyond argument that there is no eyewitness who has provided an account of how William left the boundaries of 48 Benaroon Drive' in Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast, where the three-year-old was reported missing.
Recent media reports had said police believed William fell from the first-floor balcony of the house at 48 Benaroon Drive and his body was disposed of by his foster mother, Mr Craddock continued.
'It cannot be overstated the coroner has to act on the basis of reliable evidence.'
Abbott has also privately denied any involvement in William's disappearance, although former detectives are now calling for him to be 'thoroughly investigated by police and subpoenaed to give evidence at the coronial inquest' in light of the recent revelations.
These include allegations Abbott also sexually assaulted other young or teenage victims. The claims were made separately to the Witness: William Tyrrell podcast by three people: one alleged victim, one alleged witness and a third man who claimed he knew the victim personally. Others have come forward in the past week.
Abbott's brother also purportedly made a disputed claim that three-year-old William is buried near the 'Bird Tree', a well-known landmark in the area around Kendall, and that Frank told someone 'he did it'.
Former homicide detective Peter Hogan said in light of these new allegations Abbott should be fully investigated, subpoenaed to give evidence in the coronial inquest and the area around Bird Tree should be searched.
His former detective colleague Scott Rogan agrees the coroner needs to make sure this new evidence is aired and Abbott is questioned.
'The inquest is the best place to thrash this out now. Let the system take its course and see what comes from it,' Mr Rogan said.
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