Bill Spedding: former suspect in William Tyrrell’s disappearance awarded $1.5m in damages
Washing machine repairman Bill Spedding will receive almost $1.5m in compensation after suing the New South Wales government over their investigation into William Tyrrell’s disappearance.
On Thursday, Justice Ian Harrison ordered the state of NSW to pay that amount plus interest after the police maliciously pursued him while investigating the disappearance of the threeyear-old in September 2014.
“No sum of money will restore the life I enjoyed before this terrible nightmare,” Spedding said outside court on Thursday.
“I brought this case to show that police decisions to prosecute must not be taken lightly and, more importantly, must not be taken to achieve some ulterior purpose.”
The tradesman was an early highprofile suspect in William’s disappearance from a home on the NSW mid-north coast.
Police searched Spedding’s Bonny Hills home and drained his septic tank in January 2015, but found no evidence linking him to William.
Before being categorically ruled out in the investigations, he was charged in April 2015 over historical child abuse claims alleged to have taken place in the 1980s, spending 56 days in custody and then being released on strict bail conditions.
Clear evidence emerged that the complainants had been coached by another person to make allegations and another person’s evidence undermined the case, Harrison heard.
In March 2018, Spedding was found not guilty.
Spedding said he was charged for crimes he did not commit, all to further the police prosecution of him as a suspect in William’s disappearance.
“The criminal charges brought maliciously against me by police destroyed me and publicly portrayed me as a paedophile,” Spedding said on Thursday.
“My reputation was severely and permanently damaged. My family life was torn apart. Our grandkids were taken from us, and their lives have also changed forever.”
At trial, Spedding’s lawyers argued the police investigation prior to charging was “done in extreme haste” in three or four weeks.
“The investigation was not in any way professional, careful or proper,” said Spedding’s lawyer, Adrian Canceri, during closing submissions in August.
On Thursday, solicitor Peter O’Brien said Spedding had to deal with wrongful imprisonment as well as the “febrile condemnation” of the community, which included harassment, intimidation and threats.
“The impact on Mr Spedding and his family is enormous,” he said. “Mr Spedding faced charges of the most serious nature which caused him tremendous humiliation, embarrassment and anxiety.”
The state of NSW denied these allegations during the trial, saying police had not acted maliciously but that misunderstandings had occurred.