“No one cares about that little boy”: Awful accusation in William Tyrrell case
A senior police officer has been accused of saying “no one cares” about missing toddler William Tyrrell, a court has heard.
Speaking at a Sydney court on Wednesday, former detective Gary Jubelin claimed Detective Superintendent Scott Cook told him in 2017 of the three-year-old boy: “No one cares about that little kid. Get him off the books. Get him to unsolved homicide.”
Cook, who was promoted to the position of Assistant Commissioner in December 2019, has denied making the statement.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller released a statement on the allegations on the same day.
“I have full confidence in the professionalism of Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook, who has more than 31 years of exemplary service with the NSW Police Force, which includes receiving the Australian Police Medal in 2019,” the statement read.
“Assistant Commissioner Cook held the role of Homicide Squad Commander from 2018, during which he exemplified the definition of a leader and reimagined the review process for unsolved cases to improve communication with the families of victims and deliver answers and justice in more cases.”
Jubelin said he was told the investigation was “all over the place” when he took over the case five months after Tyrrell’s disappearance.
“I don’t think the full ram of William’s disappearance was appreciated initially and investigative opportunities were lost,” Jubelin told the court.
Jubelin has been accused of making four recordings of a person of interest in the case, Paul Savage, in 2017 and 2018 without a surveillance warrant.
He claimed Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson told him he would not be charged for the illegal act because “there’s no public interest in you being charged”.
Jubelin resigned from the force in 2019, the ABC reported.
The 57-year-old oversaw the investigation into Tyrrell’s 2014 disappearance from Kendall on NSW’s Mid North Coast.