Latest news with #FrankAbbott
News.com.au
a day ago
- General
- News.com.au
NSW Coroner will consider new evidence if provided by detectives, following news.com.au investigation
The coroner investigating William Tyrrell's disappearance will consider new evidence if provided by detectives, following a series of explosive reports by If police fail to investigate 'relevant information', a senior lawyer involved in the inquest said a complaint could be made to the NSW Police Force Commissioner or the watchdog dealing with police misconduct. William's foster mother 'will be considering' such a complaint, according to her lawyer, Sharon Ramsden. Doing so could trigger an inquiry into the police investigation of the three-year-old's disappearance, which has gone on for more than a decade without success. A former official involved in William's care confirmed they are also considering a formal complaint about police, saying they are 'disturbed by the information that has come forward'. This includes revelations from that: – Two people claimed the brother of a convicted child abuser said he was involved in what happened to William, – This man, a former 'person of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation, gave a detailed account of what he claimed happened to William to another prisoner, – The same man, Frank Abbott, is linked to the victims of three other unsolved murders, according to evidence tendered to the inquest. We are not suggesting that these allegations are true, just that they have been made and have not been adequately followed up by NSW Police. Asked if the coroner would consider this new evidence, a senior lawyer involved in the inquest said it could effectively reopen to do so. 'Although evidence in this inquest is formally closed, the Coroner will consider all relevant evidence provided by NSW Police,' said the Department of Communities and Justice's principal solicitor for inquests, Katie Llewelyn. 'If NSW Police are not investigating relevant information,' Ms Llewelyn suggested 'a complaint can be made to the Commissioner of Police or failing that, to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.' A spokeswoman for NSW Police, Erin Bouda, said 'details [of the new evidence] remain unclear' and 'its relevance to the case cannot be determined' but said Abbott 'has been thoroughly investigated. 'All relevant evidence has been submitted to the coroner,' Ms Bouda continued. She did not respond to an offer from to provide further details of the new allegations and witnesses. William was reported missing on 12 September 2014 from a family home on the NSW Mid North Coast. The subsequent police investigation has since outlasted three NSW Police Force Commissioners, with the current incumbent, Karen Webb, due to retire within months. The police Homicide Squad is also onto its third commander in that time, with no charges laid over what happened to William. In recent years, William's foster mother has been publicly described by police and media as the 'chief suspect', despite repeatedly denying any involvement and calling on police to do more to investigate the case. She and her husband, who cannot be named, were convicted of a range of unrelated offences only for almost all of these to be overturned on appeal. The foster mother's lawyer, Ms Ramsden, said 'we will be considering' a formal complaint about police conduct, although she is 'not in a position to comment further' until the inquest is complete. The former official involved in William's care said they were worried about the police's continued focus on the foster mother 'despite the absence of any evidence'. This official, who asked not to be named, said they had been told by detectives it was not necessary to investigate other potential persons of interest 'as police felt they had … the answer'. The inquest has previously heard it is 'beyond argument' police have no forensic or eyewitness evidence of what happened to William. A recent witness statement provided by the lead detective David Laidlaw was heavily redacted by the court, with the senior lawyer assisting the coroner saying it reflected 'one person's opinions'. Frank Abbott declined to answer questions.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘Knows too much': Inmate of William Tyrrell person of interest reveals bombshell claims
A 'person of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation gave a detailed account of the three-year-old's death to another prisoner, who says he tried to tell police but has 'just been brushed to the side'. Simon Sutherland shared an accommodation block with the person of interest, Frank Abbott, in Sydney's Long Bay prison between late March and early April this year. 'He just starts talking about it, like it's nothing,' Sutherland said. 'Like, 'Hey, you know about that William Tyrrell? … I'll tell you the truth'.' The details of Abbott's alleged account are disturbing and unproven, although several parts seem to refer to people, places or things heard in evidence before an inquest investigating William's disappearance. Sutherland said Abbott claimed William was abducted, kept in a wood yard and that his death was an accident, after which the three-year-old's body was disposed of in a suitcase. 'He tells the same story, apparently, to everybody. Like he just starts saying 'Oh, I was the main suspect in the William Tyrrell investigation,' Sutherland continued. 'It's his 15 minutes of fame.' Abbott, himself a convicted child abuser, insisted that he was not responsible for what happened, Sutherland said, 'but when he is telling you, he knows more. It's just he knows too much.' Sutherland, who was in prison for a stalk/intimidate offence before his release in April, said he is speaking out after attempting to report what Abbott told him to police, including in a phone call with the lead detective on the case, David Laidlaw. Sutherland said Detective Chief Inspector Laidlaw told him he was busy, that police continued to believe William's foster mother was involved in the three-year-old's disappearance and he would follow up by phone or email – but this never happened. He also said Abbott described sitting in a four-wheel-drive or station wagon 'in a cul-de-sac (with) a walking trail at the end'. That car had 'all the windows fogged up and somebody went past him and … he thought he was caught out then.' The description of a cul-de-sac with a walking trail at the end matches that of Benaroon Drive, where William was reported missing on 12 September 2014. William's foster mother has previously given evidence saying she saw a white station wagon outside the house where they were staying that morning and a separate witness has told us she saw a station wagon with fogged up windows on the road that day. Police and the inquest investigating William's disappearance have found no evidence Abbott was on Benaroon Drive the day he was reported missing. We are not saying these new allegations are true, just that they have been made and not been followed up by police. William's foster mother, who has been publicly identified by police and media as the 'chief suspect' has not been charged in relation to his suspected death and has repeatedly denied any involvement. DCI Laidlaw's final witness statement to the inquest was heavily redacted with the senior lawyer saying it reflected 'one person's opinions' and that police had found no forensic or eyewitness evidence of what happened to William. Abbott does identify two men as being allegedly involved in William's disappearance, according to Sutherland, although we are not naming them as there is no evidence to support this. Evidence before the inquest shows Abbott has a history of suggesting other people may have been involved in what happened. There are also other unsubstantiated claims in Abbott's version, according to Sutherland, including that he drove to a nearby airport to pick up a green car soon after William went missing. Abbott also claimed to have been in a different town on the day itself 'to go to this guy's house to check his mail', said Sutherland. This contrasts an account given by Abbott on recorded prison phone calls, tendered to the inquest, where he claimed a bank transaction proved he was somewhere else at the time. Witness: William Tyrrell. 'Like I explained to the copper, I said 'Look mate, if it was a drug dealer on drug dealer (murder), I wouldn't give two sh*ts'. I said, 'It's a little boy. … It's a different story when it's a bloody kid.' The NSW Police Force and Abbott have declined to answer questions.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
New claim that William Tyrrell person of interest ‘took that little boy' 250km away from where he went missing
A second person has come forward alleging a 'person of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation was identified by his own brother as being involved in the three-year-old's disappearance The woman, Donna Bulley, said she reported this to police months after William was reported missing in September 2014, but it was not followed up by detectives. The NSW Police Force has instead focused on William's foster mother in recent years but has not charged anyone over what took place and has been described in court as having 'no forensic evidence' and 'no eyewitness'. The person of interest, Frank Abbott, is currently in prison for child sex offences against multiple victims. Detectives investigating William's disappearance did not focus on Abbott until around 2019, years after Ms Bulley attempted to tell police about him. Recorded prison phone calls from November 2019 reveal police suggested Abbott 'borrowed somebody's car and went down, enticed [William] out with lollies and ice cream out of the yard'. He has privately denied any involvement, however, and is not suggesting the new allegations about his brother are true, just that they have been made and have not been followed up by police. Abbott was also never questioned at the inquest investigating what happened to William, with the coroner ordering her decision on whether to do so cannot be made public. Our investigative podcast Witness: William Tyrrell spoke to dozens of people about Abbott, including two men who now live in his old house in the town of Johns River, a short drive from Kendall, where William was last seen. Last month, we revealed the older of these men said Abbott's late brother Jeffrey – also known as Bluey – 'always said, when the stories were going around with Tyrrell, that he didn't do it. '[But] pretty close to when he died, Bluey said to my son, 'He did do it … and he's buried up on Big Bird Mountain there, where that big tree is '. 'No one ever checked that out.' The man's son said he did not remember the conversation, saying instead that Jeffrey Abbott 'didn't … believe Frank had anything to do with it. 'But … I think he was under the belief that Frank needed the jail time,' he continued. 'He deserved to be in jail because of things he'd done in his past.' The new alleged witness, Ms Bulley, came forward last week, after we reported this disputed claim. Ms Bulley said she had been working in the Royal Hotel in Kew, a small town a few kilometres from where William was reported missing and where Abbott was often seen around the time. A regular customer 'got talking a bit and he said, 'Have you seen that bloody Frank Abbott around love?', said Ms Bulley. 'And I went, 'Actually, now that you say that, no I haven't'. He went, 'No, that's because the bastard's in jail'. 'He said, 'His brother Bluey told me that he took that little boy to Tamworth the next day',' Ms Bulley continued. 'I rang the police and I told them what he said. They rang me back … and I missed the call and then I rang them back and left a message and nobody ever got back to me.' Ms Bulley said this conversation took place in late 2014 or early 2015. Abbott was jailed over unrelated child sex charges in April 2015 – seven months after William was reported missing. Her account does differ from that of the first person to allege Jeffrey Abbott claimed his brother was involved. That man claimed William was said to have been buried near a local landmark known as the Bird Tree, while Ms Bulley claimed William was said to have been taken to Tamworth. Other evidence before the inquest alleges a close friend of Abbott called Ray Porter claimed to have given 'my best mate' and William Tyrrell a lift in his car, driving them 300 kilometres north. Tamworth is about 250km northwest of Kendall. Other evidence heard at the inquest suggests Abbott did travel to Tamworth along with 'a little boy', although this was not confirmed. Other evidence before the inquest also said Abbott repeatedly claimed to know where William was, suggesting various places linked to other potential suspects. Mr Porter, as well as Abbott's brother Jeffrey, have died in the years since William's disappearance, while the age of the customer identified by Ms Pulley makes it possible he too has died. The inquest into William's disappearance has been running for almost five years, with its findings still not expected for months. The police investigation has been running for over ten years, yet no one has been charged. The NSW Police Force, Coroner's Court of NSW and Abbott have all declined to answer questions. Abbott has claimed in court that he is no longer a person of interest to the investigation but this has not been confirmed.
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Telegraph
William Tyrrell disappearance: Disputed claim emerges that person of interest took Tyrrell 250km to Tamworth
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. A second person has come forward alleging a 'person of interest' in the William Tyrrell investigation was identified by his own brother as being involved in the three-year-old's disappearance The woman, Donna Bulley, said she reported this to police months after William was reported missing in September 2014, but it was not followed up by detectives. The NSW Police Force has instead focused on William's foster mother in recent years but has not charged anyone over what took place and has been described in court as having 'no forensic evidence' and 'no eyewitness'. The person of interest, Frank Abbott, is currently in prison for child sex offences against multiple victims. Detectives investigating William's disappearance did not focus on Abbott until around 2019, years after Ms Bulley attempted to tell police about him. Recorded prison phone calls from November 2019 reveal police suggested Abbott 'borrowed somebody's car and went down, enticed [William] out with lollies and ice cream out of the yard'. He has privately denied any involvement, however, and is not suggesting the new allegations about his brother are true, just that they have been made and have not been followed up by police. Abbott was also never questioned at the inquest investigating what happened to William, with the coroner ordering her decision on whether to do so cannot be made public. Our investigative podcast Witness: William Tyrrell spoke to dozens of people about Abbott, including two men who now live in his old house in the town of Johns River, a short drive from Kendall, where William was last seen. Last month, we revealed the older of these men said Abbott's late brother Jeffrey – also known as Bluey – 'always said, when the stories were going around with Tyrrell, that he didn't do it. '[But] pretty close to when he died, Bluey said to my son, 'He did do it … and he's buried up on Big Bird Mountain there, where that big tree is'. 'No one ever checked that out.' The man's son said he did not remember the conversation, saying instead that Jeffrey Abbott 'didn't … believe Frank had anything to do with it. 'But … I think he was under the belief that Frank needed the jail time,' he continued. 'He deserved to be in jail because of things he'd done in his past.' The new alleged witness, Ms Bulley, came forward last week, after we reported this disputed claim. New disputed claims have emerged about person of interest Frank Abbott. Frank Abbott as a younger man. Picture: Dean Sewell/SMH Ms Bulley said she had been working in the Royal Hotel in Kew, a small town a few kilometres from where William was reported missing and where Abbott was often seen around the time. A regular customer 'got talking a bit and he said, 'Have you seen that bloody Frank Abbott around love?', said Ms Bulley. 'And I went, 'Actually, now that you say that, no I haven't'. He went, 'No, that's because the bastard's in jail'. 'He said, 'His brother Bluey told me that he took that little boy to Tamworth the next day',' Ms Bulley continued. 'I rang the police and I told them what he said. They rang me back … and I missed the call and then I rang them back and left a message and nobody ever got back to me.' Ms Bulley said this conversation took place in late 2014 or early 2015. Abbott was jailed over unrelated child sex charges in April 2015 – seven months after William was reported missing. Her account does differ from that of the first person to allege Jeffrey Abbott claimed his brother was involved. That man claimed William was said to have been buried near a local landmark known as the Bird Tree, while Ms Bulley claimed William was said to have been taken to Tamworth. Disputed claims have emerged that William Tyrrell was driven to Tamworth. Police were found to have 'no forensic evidence' and 'no eyewitness' information incriminating William's foster mother in court. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short Other evidence before the inquest alleges a close friend of Abbott called Ray Porter claimed to have given 'my best mate' and William Tyrrell a lift in his car, driving them 300 kilometres north. Tamworth is about 250km northwest of Kendall. Other evidence heard at the inquest suggests Abbott did travel to Tamworth along with 'a little boy', although this was not confirmed. Other evidence before the inquest also said Abbott repeatedly claimed to know where William was, suggesting various places linked to other potential suspects. Mr Porter, as well as Abbott's brother Jeffrey, have died in the years since William's disappearance, while the age of the customer identified by Ms Pulley makes it possible he too has died. The inquest into William's disappearance has been running for almost five years, with its findings still not expected for months. The police investigation has been running for over ten years, yet no one has been charged. The NSW Police Force, Coroner's Court of NSW and Abbott have all declined to answer questions. Abbott has claimed in court that he is no longer a person of interest to the investigation but this has not been confirmed. Originally published as New claim that William Tyrrell person of interest 'took that little boy' 250km away from where he went missing
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
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 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 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.
