The New South Wales Police Commissioner has admitted the “horrific” alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst “should not have happened” amid a surge in domestic violence in Australia.
The body of the childhood educator and mother of one, 28, was found at her home in Forbes, approximately 137 km west of Sydneyearly Monday.
Her ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings, 29, was charged with her alleged murder and was out on bail at the time.
He had previously been accused of raping the young mother three times, stalking and harassing her four times, smashing her car windows and attacking her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Commissioner Webb was said to have been hit hard by Ms Ticehurst’s death and described it as a “terrible and frankly horrific crime”, as she backed an urgent government review of bail laws “as a priority “.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb says the “horrific” alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst “should not have happened” amid a surge in domestic violence in Australia.
“I will say upfront that the police share the community’s sentiment,” Commissioner Webb told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“This should not have happened and unfortunately this is not an isolated case.”
She also supported NSW Premier Chris Minns’ commitment to review bail laws in a bid to make NSW a safer state.
Ms Ticehurst was the 25th woman believed to have been murdered by a man in 2024.
Domestic violence has been a priority for Commissioner Webb since she was appointed to this top position two years ago.
“I have always said that domestic violence is a silent crime. This needs to change,” she said.
The commissioner added that the issue of domestic violence needed to be “kept in the spotlight” so that victims could feel empowered to speak out and seek help.
When asked On Friday, if she wants to see a change where court clerks don’t make decisions on serious issues like sexual assault or stalking, the commissioner said “certainly.”
“When I saw the lawyer’s announcement (about the review), he made it clear that one of the suggestions being considered was for a prosecutor or magistrate to consider bail, rather than a registrar,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“I support that if that’s where the government lands.”
“We have been pushing for amendments to bail laws for some time, particularly around the protection of women and victims of sexual and domestic violence.
“We have a seat at this table and it’s important that we do.”
Commissioner Webb described the death of Molly Ticehurst (pictured) as a “terrible and frankly horrific crime”.
It comes after it was revealed Billings was free to roam – and allegedly entered Forbes in breach of a restraining order – after one court ruling, followed by a second just days before Ms Ticehurst was allegedly killed.
According to Nine Newspapers, when he appeared in court on Saturday in Dubbo to apply for bail on the rape and stalking charges, the presiding officer at the hearing was L Cusack, a court registrar, rather than a magistrate from higher rank, because magistrates do not work on weekends.
Clerks are trained to hear bail applications but, unlike magistrates, do not need to have a law degree.
During that court appearance on April 6, police argued to the clerk that Billings posed a risk to his former partner and that he had made threats against her.
However, the clerk agreed to release him on bail, imposing a $5,000 bond and an apprehended violence order on behalf of Ms. Ticehurst, including a condition that he not enter the town of Forbes at all.
The charges were mentioned again in Dubbo Local Court before a magistrate last Thursday, but this time police did not ask whether he should be returned to custody.
Ms Ticehurst’s body was discovered at her home four days later.
Police arrested Billings, who is believed to have fled to a property in Fifield, more than 100km from Forbes, and he is now in custody.
Ms Ticehurst’s grieving father, Tony Ticehurst, told Nine: “If they had kept him in prison like the police wanted, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
The bills will appear in Orange Local Court on June 20.
Daniel Billings, 29, was charged with Ms Ticehurst’s alleged murder and was on bail for other serious offenses at the time.
dailymail us
