The ousted head detective in the search for William Tyrrell has slammed the criminal case against him as an ‘incredible waste of time’ in a defiant spray.
Gary Jubelin declared ‘I’m not broken’ outside court on Tuesday after he pleaded not guilty to four charges of allegedly making illegal recordings.
Jubelin said the recordings were made during the investigation into missing William, who vanished from Kendall, on the NSW mid north coast, on September 12, 2014.
‘I had a lawful right and operational need to record those conversations,’ the newly retired cop said in a fiery statement on the steps of Sydney’s Downing Centre Court.
Gary Jubelin, the long-time head detective in the William Tyrrell investigation, arrives at court with high-profile barrister Margaret Cunneen SC
Jubelin was cheered by a crowd of supporters including Mark and Faye Leveson, the parents of murdered Matthew
Jubelin lamented the fact he could no longer ‘lock up bad guys’ after quitting the police force after 34 years, most of it spent as a homicide cop.
He was in charge of Strike Force Rosann, the team searching for the little boy in the Spiderman suit, for three years.
‘I’m not broken,’ he said, when a television reporter said remarked he sounded ‘heartbroken’.
‘I have done nothing wrong. And I will continue to defend myself in regards to this.
‘I think you can tell how I feel about the whole situation.
‘I think it’s an incredible waste of time but the courts have to go through due process and I’ve got to respect that process.’
Jubelin was today cheered on arrival at court by supporters and families of victims of crime.
Those gathered included Mark and Faye Leveson. Jubelin led the investigation that found the body of their slain son, Matthew.
In a show of force, Jubelin was also accompanied by big names of the Sydney legal profession.
He was escorted by his high profile barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, and ex-NSW police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas.
Ms Cunneen today formally entered not guilty pleas on Jubelin’s behalf in front of a packed court room.
Man in the middle: Paul Savage can be revealed as the man Gary Jubelin is accused of illegally recording during the investigation into William Tyrrell’s disappearance
Court documents said Jubelin is accused of making four illegal recordings between November 3, 2017, and December 28, 2018.
Three recordings were made in Kendall and one in Parramatta, the charge sheets said.
Daily Mail Australia has been told all four charges laid against Jubelin relate to recordings of Paul Savage.
Savage is an elderly widower who across the road from where William vanished from his foster grandmother’s home.
The Daily Mail does not suggest Savage played a role in William’s disappearance.
Outside court, Jubelin said he had ‘no animosity’ towards the NSW Police Force. But it was clear he was devastated to have retired.
He finally gave his account of the final days of his policing career. Reports have claimed he was forced onto desk duties, listening to whale music.
‘I’m not broken’: Gary Jubelin outside court on Tuesday
Cheering supporters yelled ‘Go Jubes’ as he left the court this morning
‘Sadly I have retired from the NSW Police,’ Jubelin said in a prepared statement.
‘Unfortunately it’s not what I wanted to do but it is a direct result of how management treated me when these allegations surfaced.
‘My position with the NSW Police became untenable. I was not allowed to carry out duties.
‘I was taken off the investigations I was leading and I could not longer continue to support victims and lock up the bad guys like I have done throughout my career.’
Mark Leveson described Jubelin as someone who ‘wanted to catch bad guys, lock them up and give the victims much needed answers’.
‘We feel that his success and high profile have embarrassed and upset a number of over ambitious superiors who have placed their own careers before the task they were sworn to do.
‘These superiors have made one huge mistake – they have underestimated all of us’.
Ms Cunneen today told the court the brief of evidence had not yet been served on Jubelin.
The registrar ordered the brief must be served by September 10, with the defence reply by September 24, when the case will return to court.
Jubelin will be excused from attending.
Mark Leveson said NSW Police management had sorely underestimated the support Jubelin has from the people he has helped throughout his career
Jubelin has led several high profile investigations – including into the murder of Mathew Leveson – and was a central character in Underbelly: Badness (above, actor Matt Nable)
Meanwhile, the inquest into Tyrrell’s disappearance will soon commence a second series of public hearings on August 7.
Jubelin is expected to be called to give evidence there, too, alongside a lengthy list of Kendall locals, police and others.
Mr Savage has retained a solicitor and a barrister and is expected to be called as a witness.
One-time person of interest, washing machine repairman Bill Spedding, will also give evidence.
A close friend of Mr Spedding, Colin Youngberry said last week that his mate was ‘looking forward’ to the opportunity to have his say at the inquest.
Mr Spedding has vehemently denied any involvement. ‘He’s really looking forward to this, basically he hasn’t been able to say much,’ Mr Youngberry said.
A TIMELINE OF THE CHARGES AGAINST GARY JUBELIN
Gary Jubelin
September 12, 2014: A little boy dressed in a Spiderman suit, William Tyrrell, vanishes from his foster grandmother’s home in Kendall, on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
September 16: The NSW Police Homicide Squad take control of the investigation into William’s disappearance, forming Strike Force Rosann, with Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin appointed its commander.
2014 to 2018: The specialist police strike force combs through hundreds of leads in a desperate bid to find out who abducted, and presumably murdered, the little boy, with a $1 million reward offered for information.
Late 2018: The NSW Police Professional Standards Command launch an investigation into claims of alleged misconduct after a series of complaints. Jubelin reportedly had a fight with a police colleague about this time
Early 2019: Jubelin is removed from the investigation into William’s disappearance amid an internal NSW Police probe into claims of misconduct against him.
Missing: The final photograph taken of William Tyrrell on his foster grandmother’s back deck in Kendall, New South Wales
May 2019: The decorated detective resigns from the New South Wales police force after being consigned to desk duties for most of the year.
June 21, 2019: NSW Police announce four charges of breaching the Surveillance Devices Act have been laid against Jubelin.
His lawyer, Margaret Cunneen SC, issues a statement: ‘Detective Chief Inspector Jubelin denies any wrongdoing whatsoever and will strongly defend the charges against him.
‘(He) is confident that these matters will shortly be resolved in his favour’.
July 30: Jubelin formally pleads not guilty to the four charges and appears at court with a crowd of supporters