'The claims are false': Bill Spedding releases video statement about William Tyrrell
Bill Spedding has released a video statement in an attempt to 'clarify details' about his whereabouts during the disappearance of missing toddler William Tyrrell.
Surfacing just days after William's mother's heartbreaking 000 call was released to the public, the video titled 'Bill Spedding Video Statement regarding missing William Tyrrell' was posted to a Facebook group before being published to Youtube.
Spedding has confirmed to 7News he made the video to defend himself against any suggestion he was supposed to be at the Tyrrell house on the day of the three-year-old's disappearance.
Mr Spedding reads from a written statement in the video:
"Hello, I'm Bill Spedding. My wife Margaret and I offer the Tyrrell family our sincere commiserations over the tragic event of William's disappearance," he begins.
"I wish to state that I have had no involvement whatsoever in the disappearance of William Tyrrell.
"I have noted in the media that some events have been reported inaccurately. I wish to clarify those details."
Spedding states that he first attended the Tyrrell house on Tuesday the 9th September 2014 to repair a washing machine and returned to complete the repair on Thursday 18th September 2104.
"I have not been in the Tyrrell house or to the Tyrrell house or to the street before, between or after the dates," he said.
"The media have reported that I was supposed to attend the Tyrrell House on the 12th of September 2014, this being the day of William's disappearance.
"I wish to make it perfectly clear that this claim is completely false.
"I appeal to anyone with information to urge them to contact Crime Stoppers."
Spedding was previously investigated in relation to Tyrrell's disappearance.
He is facing unrelated historical child sex charges.
The video comes nearly a year after William Tyrrell disappeared from his grandmother's home on the mid-north coast.
Detectives are focusing on two vehicles that were seen in the vicinity of Benaroon Drive in Kendall on the morning of September 12, 2014, when William vanished.
This week a copy of the two-piece spiderman outfit worn by William Tyrrell was shown to reporters, with police urging any member of the public with information "no matter how small" to come forward.
"One a dark grey greyish coloured model, medium-size sedan and a white coloured station wagon were parked in an area directly opposite the yard where William was last seen," Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin said at a press conference.
"The reason we why we want to find details of those two vehicles is the manner in which they were parked."
Police want to stress that the Spiderman outfit that #WilliamTyrrell was wearing was a two-piece costume. #7News pic.twitter.com/siGn97JThX
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) September 7, 2015
“They were parked one behind each other, but it was a dead-end street and they were parked between the driveways, so that causes us suspicion…”
"There's no logical explanation why they would park where they were," he said.
"We would like to speak to the occupants of those vehicles to determine the reason they were in the area," Det Insp Jubelin said.
Police also want to identify two other cars seen driving near the scene of the disappearance.
“A dark green- [or] greyish-coloured old-style sedan drove past the driveway of 48 Benaroon Drive when William and his sister where riding their bikes in the driveway on the morning of his disappearance.
“That vehicle did a U-turn shortly after driving past the driveway and then drove out of Benaroon Drive.
“We’re also interested in… a report of a four-wheel-drive leaving Benaroon Drive around the time William disappeared."
Police on Monday also released audio of the 000 call Tyrrell's mother made after his disappearance.
In the audio, an emergency operator called Simone takes the call to hear William's mother say: "Hi, my son is missing, he's three and a half".
She says her family had been looking for him up and down the street for around 20 minutes but had not found him.
"We heard him roaring around the garden and then I thought, 'Oh, I haven't heard him, I better go check on him'."
The mother describes her son to Simone and tells her what he was wearing.
"He's wearing a Spiderman outfit ... he's got dark sandy-coloured hair, it's short, he's got really big browny-green coloured eyes.
William's mother says she had noticed no suspicious people in the neighbourhood, it was the first time her son had gone missing and that it was out of character for him.
Investigators believe William, who was waiting for his dad to arrive back at the home, may have run down toward the road when a pedophile saw their opportunity.
William would be four years old now.
'I can still hear him'
For nearly a year, the parents of the missing child have relived that day over and over again.
His mother revealed how moments before, he had been playing on the patio in his favourite two-piece Spider-Man suit when he jumped off and went around the side of the house.
His playful roars were the last sound she heard.
"I can still hear him," she said. "He was roaring and then nothing.
"The world just came to a screaming halt."
"There was no wind, there were no birds. There was just nothing."
In the past year, police searching for William have created more than 5000 documents, tabled in excess of 1400 information reports (mainly from the public), interviewed more than 1000 people and have had more than 407 sightings of children believed to be William.
Two grandparent support groups have also reportedly been looked at as part of investigations.
The public, like police, have refused to give up.
A Where's William week will be launched on September 12, the exact date of his disappearance. It's supported by child protection advocate Bravehearts, the NSW police and about 560 councils across Australia.
"As far as we're concerned, William is alive until we know otherwise," a Where's William campaign spokeswoman said.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
