By Michael McGowan and Perry Duffin
The NSW government has ordered a review into court decisions made before the killing of 28-year-old Forbes mother Molly Ticehurst, with Premier Chris Minns saying the justice system must protect the community from people who pose “an unacceptable risk”.
The death of Ticehurst has prompted an outpouring of grief and anger in the western NSW community, following revelations that her alleged murderer Daniel Billings had been released on bail just weeks ago after being accused of sexually assaulting her.
Molly Ticehurst’s body was found early on Monday morning.
NSW Police Association President Kevin Morton said the government’s review should be widened to examine the “entire court system” and in particular bail decisions taken by Local Court magistrates and registrars.
“We invest ourselves into caring for victims and helping them through such a traumatic incident, putting the alleged offender before the court, only to see them get bail or a slap on the wrist,” he said.
“You’ve got to wonder whether our court system is failing us. Failing not only police but victims of serious crime.”
On Tuesday, the premier expressed his condolences to the Ticehurst family over the alleged murder, saying that the family’s “anger and heartbreak” was shared by the wider community. After a briefing from NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley, Minns said the government was in the process of finalising details of a review into the matter, which would be announced on Wednesday.
“A family has lost their daughter, and a little boy has lost his mother,” Minns said. “Our justice system must protect the community from those who pose an unacceptable risk. Details of a review are being finalised and will be announced on Wednesday.”
The review is expected to examine the circumstances leading to Billings being granted bail earlier this month in relation to a string of charges, including sexual assault against Ticehurst.
Emergency services found the body of Ticehurst, 28, at a home in Forbes just after 2am on Monday. Daniel Billings, 29, was later arrested and charged with murder (DV) and contravening an apprehended violence order.
Daniel Billings is now in custody.Credit: Facebook
The alleged murder case came briefly before the Orange Local Court on Tuesday morning. The court heard that Billings had been released on bail just 15 days before the alleged murder over a series of allegations of sexual assault against Ticehurst. He had been charged with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent, four counts of stalking and harassment, two counts of damaging or destroying property and one count of animal cruelty.
According to court records, Dubbo Local Court registrar L. Cusack placed him on an interim apprehended violence order and released him on $5000 bail on April 6.
Billings did not apply for bail on Tuesday and it was formally refused. During the hearing, magistrate David Day also formally revoked Billings’ bail on the earlier charges. The matter was adjourned to Parkes Local Court on June 20.
The circumstances leading up to the alleged murder immediately sparked anger in the western NSW town. On Tuesday, Ticehurst’s father, Tony, said, “someone’s got to be responsible” for his daughter’s death.
“If they’d have kept him in jail as the police wanted, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” he told Nine News.
During a press conference on Tuesday morning, Minns said he had heard Tony Ticehurst’s comments and said that the “heartbreak and anger he felt will be shared by everyone in NSW today, and it will be devastating for the town.
“Everybody in this state is with them today as they go through the realisation of a horrible, terrible crime,” he said. “I did want to acknowledge that there’s genuine, genuine community concern, there’s a family that is angry and heartbroken, there’s a community that’s massively concerned.”
Minns met Daley on Tuesday to get a better understanding of the circumstances leading up to the alleged attack. Minns conceded that there were “genuine” questions to answer over why Billings had been granted bail just 15 days earlier.
“Of course, the community and the public have questions they want answered … I can understand real community concern about the circumstances related to that decision. I can assure you the NSW government is seeking all available information,” he said.
On Monday, Central West Police District crime manager Detective Inspector Jason Darcy said that Ticehurst and Billings had previously been in a relationship. He said the crime scene was “brutal”.
He confirmed police were investigating claims that Billings visited Ticehurst’s workplace last week and was moved on. “That’s a line of inquiry. Investigations are still alive and ongoing,” he said.
No to Violence chief executive Phillip Ripper said the government’s review needed to address serious issues within the criminal justice system.
“We know women are at far greater risk of murder or severe violence after ending an abusive relationship,” he said.
“We also know that the risk to women and children is also heightened following the release of men from custody.”
Ripper said with coercive control offences coming into force in just a couple of months in NSW, victim-survivors needed to be able to trust the court system to keep them safe.
“No to Violence strongly advocates for the important role of court-mandated behaviour change and intervention services as a way of keeping men who use violence in view of the courts, police and corrections while also providing ongoing support to victim/survivors and families,” he said.
- with Daniella White
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
With AAP
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