One of New South Wales police’s highest-profile detectives is resigning from the force after he was stood down from the William Tyrrell abduction case and put on desk duties.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Jubelin, 57, who commanded dozens of officers on Strikeforce Roseann for four years, was taken off the Tyrrell case in March while he was investigated over allegations of misconduct.
The Telegraph reported he had handed in his retirement papers in recent weeks.
Jubelin was the subject of an internal inquiry after another detective alleged bullying and that he had recorded a suspect without seeking permission. Jubelin has denied any wrongdoing and had told colleagues he was sad and disappointed to leave the force.
The high-profile detective became a household face during the investigation of the disappearance of three-year-old William Tyrrell on the mid-north coast from his foster grandmother’s house in 2014.
The photo of the boy in a Spider-Man costume – the outfit he was wearing when he disappeared – has haunted the public. Despite extensive searches of nearby bushland, thousands of calls to Crimestoppers and a $1m reward, the little boy has not been found.
Jubelin had also been the lead investigator in other major crimes, including the murder of Matthew Leveson, which was successfully solved in 2017 after his former boyfriend, Michael Atkins, led police to the gravesite under a promise of immunity.
He was also a key figure in the reinvestigation of the Bowraville murders, which have haunted the local Aboriginal community and led to applications to reopen the case after the prime suspect was acquitted.
Jubelin has consistently been hailed by victims’ families, including the parents of Leveson and the families of the children murdered in Bowraville.
His dogged determination and empathy with the families of victims was a hallmark of the way he approached policing, colleagues said.
In a 2016 interview he said: “Homicide is the pinnacle for me – it’s my passion. I treat the victims of crime as if they are members of my own family … I take it personally and I always give 100%. I can’t cop mediocrity from anyone.”
Jubelin was also a key detective on the investigation into the death of model Caroline Byrne who fell from the Gap in 1995. The case dominated headlines for years and had been linked to one of the most enduring scandals of the Sydney business world: a fire at a print plant which made several high-profile business figures very rich from the insurance payout. Byrne’s boyfriend, Gordon Wood, was acquitted of her murder on appeal in 2012.
A report from the internal misconduct investigation is yet to be made public. Jubelin could potentially still face charges over allegations of recording in breach of the Surveillance Devices Act.
