Pedophile says case of missing boy William Tyrrell is causing him 'grief'

Pedophile Paul Bickford has denied he has anything to do with three-year-old William Tyrrell's disappearance, saying the investigation is causing him "grief".

The convicted child abuser recounted the events which took place on September 12, 2014, the day the little Spider-Man fan vanished.

Bickford reportedly struggled to recall the exact location where he and his wife were with guests friends for lunch. News Corp reports.

“We went out to somewhere. I can’t remember exactly. Surely they (the friends) would have verified that (to police),” he said.

He said that he wants to know what happened to the little boy, adding that he and his family have been through "grief".

“At the moment I am dragged into something I know nothing about," he said.

Bickford is currently serving a ­suspended sentence for indecently assaulting a four-year-old girl with autism and is the former president of group Grandparents as Parents Again (GAPA), which was under investigation in relation to possible links with William's case.

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When William's case opened up, Bickford said he was expecting police to seek him out, being one of 80 pedophiles in the mid-north coast area.

“I would have expected to be interviewed because I would expect them to go through all the convicted pedophiles to have a look who was where,” he said.

One month ago, the Port Macquarie man said he was told by detectives that he was no longer a person of interest in the William Tyrrell case after “vigilantes” smashed windows at his windows.

The response comes after reports he and Tony Jones, another convicted pedophile with ties to the GAPA group, were together on the day William vanished.

Both Bickford and Jones were persons of interest in William's case and Jones' family members claim they were "close friends, no doubt about it".

According to the report, Jones told his family he was going to visit Bickford on the day William went missing and returned home drunk that afternoon.

Jones, 59, has 90 convictions against him and was jailed in September for aggravated indecent assault of a young girl.

On the day William went missing Jones was driving an old white station wagon, which was later towed for forensic examination.

A grey car was also seen at the residence at the time of William's disappearance.

Bickford claims he owned a white Commodore and his son had a grey sedan which was in Brisbane.

Jones also has ties with local washing machine repairman Bill Spedding, who was initially also a person of interest.

Anyone with information about William's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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