William Tyrrell’s foster parents to face hearing over fraud charges

William Tyrrell’s foster parents will face a one-day hearing to fight charges of fraud after they allegedly had someone make fake bids on their Sydney property at auction.

The 55-year-old man and 57-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have each been charged with dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.

Police allege the couple procured a third-party to make false bids at an auction for a Sydney property listed under the man’s name.

The offences allegedly took place between December 10 and 12, 2020.

The couple did not appear at Parramatta Local Court on Friday, where a solicitor for the pair confirmed their not guilty plea and a hearing date was set.

Magistrate Peter Feather set the hearing down for one-day on July 21, 2023.

The current charges are not related to William’s disappearance from his grandmother’s house at Kendall on the NSW mid north coast on September 12, 2014, when he was aged three.

No one has been charged over his disappearance, and the toddler’s foster parents have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The new hearing date comes just a week after William’s foster mother was found not guilty of knowingly giving false or misleading evidence during a secret hearing about the boy’s disappearance.

The woman was acquitted of lying to the NSW Crime Commission in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.

Bombshell details of the NSW Police investigation into the state’s most famous cold case were heard during the hearing.

The 57-year-old pleaded not guilty and was embraced by supporters on Friday morning as she was acquitted of the charge.

“Her Honour has given a detailed judgment today about the circumstances surrounding this charge being brought against me,” the foster mother said outside court as she held back tears.

“She’s found me not guilty of lying to the crime commission. With this behind me, I hope that police focus on finding William and what happened to him.”

Police had alleged the foster mother lied or misled NSW Crime Commission officials during a two-day hearing last November when she said during her evidence that she did not strike a child with a wooden spoon.

The child was not William Tyrrell.

The court was played audio from police listening devices planted inside her home that allegedly captured her striking the child with a wooden spoon.

But Ms Moody said she could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that she had willingly lied when she told the crime commission that she “never” struck the child with a wooden spoon.

William’s foster father has also pleaded not guilty to giving false or misleading evidence to the crime commission and will face a hearing at a later date.