'I only harmed one child': Sick defence of Tyrrell 'person of interest'
A convicted pedophile has talked about his police interrogation over the disappearance of Kendall toddler William Tyrrell.
Paul Bickford fronted court on Wednesday for allegedly breaching orders over a previous child sex conviction, but talked about the investigation with reporters outside the courthouse.
“They just asked me where I was, what I was doing, you know, just the normal things that you would probably ask,” he said.
Despite his criminal past, Bickford maintained his innocence.
"I'm telling you the truth. Whether you choose to believe me or not is really not up to me."
He said that just because he is a convicted pedophile, it doesn’t mean he ‘runs a pedophile ring’.
He told reporters he had been found guilty of harming ‘only one child, not children’.
Bickford is a former president of the Grandparents as Parents Again group, which has been investigated by detectives.
Tony Jones, another member of the group who also holds a pedophile conviction, was questioned by police last year.
Jones in now in prison for molesting a child and Bickford claims he does not communicate with him.
"I haven't got the faintest idea what Tony's done,” he said, adding that the prisoner is not his friend but rather, an ‘acquaintance’.
William Tyrrell was three years old when he vanished from his home on the Mid North Coast 16 months ago.
Police are still investigating his disappearance.
Bickford faced court for allegedly breaching orders over a three-week period last year.
The matter was adjourned and he will return to court in March.
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