William Tyrrell's foster mum has her assault conviction tossed
The former foster mother of missing toddler William Tyrrell has overturned a conviction over the intimidation and assault of another child.
The woman, who cannot be legally named, was convicted in March 2024 after magistrate Susan McIntyre found her threats to slap the child amounted to intimidation.
She earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of assault after striking the child with a wooden spoon and kicking them on the thigh.
Her conviction over these incidents was overturned on Friday at Sydney 's Downing Centre District Court.
Judge Miiko Kumar found the offences proved but imposed a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.
Five counts of intimidation brought against the foster mother over alleged incidents related to the child were dismissed by Ms McIntyre in March 2024.
In February, William's former foster father had a conviction for intimidating the child tossed out after a successful District Court appeal.
In that decision, Judge Sean Grant found the man did not intend to cause fear of harm when he screamed in frustration while taking the child to school.
William was three years old when he went missing while playing at his foster grandmother's home in Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast on September 12, 2014.
No one has ever been charged over his disappearance, although police have aired a theory that his foster mother disposed of his body after his accidental death.
The woman denies having anything to do with William's disappearance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Pheobe Bishop's 'gentle soul' is honoured as her grieving mum shares a symbolic gesture and the community prepares to hold a candlelight vigil
A community grieving the devastating loss of Pheobe Bishop have organised a fundraiser in her memory as her heartbroken mum makes a symbolic gesture. Queensland Police discovered the missing 17-year-old's remains in sprawling Good Night Scrub National Park at 2.30pm on Friday, ending the three-week search. Following the heartbreaking news, family friend Tracey Berends started a GoFundMe on Saturday in loving memory of Pheobe. 'After speaking with Pheobe's family, we have decided to honour her memory in a way that reflects the compassion and light she brought into the lives of so many,' Ms Berends wrote. 'Pheobe had a gentle soul and a generous spirit - always caring for others and standing up for what was right. 'We want her legacy to live on and by paying it forward to the amazing volunteers and community.' The donations will go towards supporting volunteer services like the SES and providing funds for the teenager's school in Bundaberg. Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson changed her profile picture to a vigil candle with her daughter's name written on its base, surrounded by flowers and butterfly wings. She shared the fundraiser to her Facebook account on Saturday. 'This is supported by the family. Everyone is wanting to assist and this is how we can give back in honour of Phee,' she wrote. Ms Johnson previously described the discovery of her daughters remains as 'ripping her apart', has shared the fundraiser on Facebook. The GoFundMe, which was only started three hours ago at the time of publishing, has raised $1,745 of the $17,000 goal. It comes as a makeshift memorial has appeared at the ramshackle, rubbish-strewn Gin Gin home Pheobe shared with Bromley and Wood. The house has been surrounded by bouquets of flowers with a large pink teddy bear standing guard over the property. A poignant message left by one mourner read: 'Pheobe, you grew your wings too early beautiful girl. Now, you will no longer feel pain or heartache. 'You can spread your wings, and know you will be loved.' The teen's family and Gin Gin locals are preparing to honour her memory at a community ceremony tomorrow night. A candlelight vigil will be held at Kolan Community Park from 4pm. Ms Johnson has said the vigil is a way for the family to acknowledge Pheobe's impact on the community. 'Like most rural families we are resilient, proud and strong but this has brought us to our knees like no drought ever could,' she said. 'While we don't have Phee home to put to rest just yet, our community needs the healing process to start.' Pheobe went missing after she failed to board a flight at Bundaberg Airport to Brisbane and then onto Western Australia to see her boyfriend on May 15. Her luggage hasn't been found, and police say neither her phone or bank accounts have been accessed. James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were both charged with murder and interfering with a corpse in relation to Pheobe's disappearance. The 17-year-old had been living with the pair at a house in Gin Gin before she vanished on May 15. They were the last people to see her alive after dropping her off at Bundaberg Airport.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Parents of British backpacker, 24, on trial for 'killing pedestrian when she ploughed into him while riding an e-scooter drunk' fly to Australia to support her
The parents of a British backpacker accused of 'killing a pedestrian after ploughing into him while riding an e-scooter drunk' have flown to Australia to support their daughter. Alicia Kemp, 24, a psychology graduate from Redditch, Worcestershire, was arrested and charged with riding the e-scooter on a footpath that fatally knocked down 51-year-old engineer Thanh Phan, 51. The father-of-two later died in hospital of brain injuries following the tragedy which occurred on May 31. Now, Kemp's anxious parents have flown to Australia to be with their daughter who is charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, the Times has reported. It comes shortly after the young backpacker was told that she could not be bailed out as she posed too great a flight risk. Kemp, who could face up to 20 years in prison, had been travelling through southeast Asia and Australia with her boyfriend on a four-month tourist visa. At the time of the tragic crash, she had been working at Durty Nelly's Irish pub. Describing herself on Linkedin as a digital nomad, Kemp had said that she was taking a 'career break' in order to travel and had also taken to social media platform TikTok to document the experience. Kemp added to the social media platform: 'I aim to immerse myself within the different cultures Asia has to offer. 'This includes working as an English second language teacher in Vietnam, in both public and private schools.' Kemp hired an e-scooter at around 8.30pm on Saturday May 31. Police told the court that she was the main driver, while her friend was a passenger. Phan was hit in the back by the scooter travelling at a speed at 15mph which prosecutors said 'careered' into his back, causing him to fall forward and hit his head. Immediately taken to the Royal Perth Hospital for surgery, Phan suffered a 'significant brain bleed' and died on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Kemp's friend, aged 26 and who has not yet been identified, suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. In a heartbreaking statement given following Phan's death, his family paid tribute to a 'beloved husband, father of two, brother, and dear friend'. The statement added: 'We received the heartbreaking news that Thanh passed away as a result of his injuries. 'We ask that the media respect the privacy of Thanh's family as they grieve their loss. 'The family has no other comment to make on the issue at this time.' The magistrate said that the significant prospect of a long prison sentence if Kemp were to be convicted means that there was a risk of her 'not returning to court to answer the charges'. They added: 'The temptation might be that (she) won't return. I can't manage that risk'. Kemp, who remains in custody, is set to appear before the court again on July 15.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Mystery after teen mum found dead in demountable home as her baby sleeps next door
The circumstances surrounding the death of a teen mother whose body was found at a home in Western Australia almost a week ago remain unknown. Officers received a Triple-0 call about an unresponsive 18-year-old woman at a demountable property in Calingiri, north-east of Perth, on Monday at about 8.45pm. Police and paramedics arrived at the property on Harrington Street where they carried out emergency first aid. The young woman was declared dead at the scene. Emergency services are understood to have found a baby unharmed in a nearby bedroom. 'Being a small little community town, I think a lot of people are still shocked to see what happened,' neighbour Clint Hansen told 9News on Friday. 'And you know, there's that many different stories going around, so nobody actually knows what happened.' WA Police would not confirm the condition of the baby. When ambulance staff arrived at a demountable home at the rear of Harrington Street, they did not enter the property until police arrived due to 'safety concerns'. It is understood police received the emergency call from a man in an agitated state. Neighbours have said the owners of the property were not in town regularly and that the building was built less than two weeks before the incident. Detectives have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the woman's death.
