Police confirmed earlier this week  they had been contacted twice regarding sightings of the boy, who was aged three when he disappeared in 2014.

A police spokeswoman said one reported sighting was definitely not of Tyrrell, while the second, which occurred around New Year's Day 2016, could not be disproved.

Police had no other details relating to the sightings, but said all information had been handed over to Australian police.

Tyrrell vanished from his grandmother's home, south of Port Macquarie, on September 12, 2014. He was wearing a Spider-Man suit and was playing in the backyard when he disappeared.

Australian police believe he was most probably abducted.

Numerous people have been interviewed by detectives, and last year police confirmed they were investigating whether William's disappearance was linked to a paedophile ring.  

Australian police said they were keeping an "open mind" about where he might be, but were currently focusing their investigation within Australia. 

Since he had gone missing, there had been "thousands" of sightings reported throughout Australia, none of which had come to anything, police said.

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