A man once accused of the abduction and murder of a young girl over half a century ago has been publicly identified in the New South Wales parliament for the first time.

Cheryl Grimmer, a toddler originally from the UK, disappeared from outside a shower block during a family outing at Fairy Meadow Beach in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Her mysterious disappearance has remained unresolved.

In 2011, a coronial inquest concluded that Grimmer was likely deceased and recommended that law enforcement officials revisit the case.

During their investigation, authorities uncovered a 1971 police interview record, in which a 17-year-old boy reportedly confessed to abducting and killing the child.

Due to his age at the time of the incident, he has been referred to by the pseudonym “Mercury” until today, when Jeremy Buckingham, a Legalise Cannabis MP, disclosed his actual name in parliament.

Parliamentary privilege means MPs cannot be sued or prosecuted for what they say in parliament, though the house as a body may take action against MPs deemed to have abused privilege.

9news.com.au is unable to reveal the identity of the man named by Buckingham because the media organisations are not protected by the same privilege.

No charges were laid during the Grimmer investigation in 1971, as police were unable to verify the details of the alleged confession and concluded it was false.

A renewed investigation saw Mercury arrested in 2017 and taken before the courts.

He pleaded not guilty to Cheryl’s abduction and murder.

However, the alleged confession was ruled inadmissible as evidence by the judge, who said that Mercury was a minor at the time and had not had the benefit of a parent or guardian present when the alleged confession was made.

The prosecution ultimately dropped the charges against Mercury, who is now in his 60s.