NSW’s broken justice system: The shocking list of women killed by men out on bail
Domestic violence campaigners fed up with a spiralling death rate are calling for urgent changes to the state’s failing bail laws. It comes as the federal Minister for women made the stark admission that “women don’t feel safe” in Australia.
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“This has to stop” – that is the demand of domestic violence advocates fed up by the number of innocent women who allegedly lost their lives at the hands of men – amid desperate calls for changes to the state’s “failing bail laws”.
As the community of Forbes reels over allegations relating to the death of young mum Molly Ticehurst, White Ribbon Australia boss Melissa Perry has told this publication: “The time for silence, indifference and inaction has passed’.
“We must mobilise as a nation to say this is simply unacceptable and won’t be tolerated any longer,” she said. “This has to stop”.
“Both Federal and State governments must put aside ‘politics’, rhetoric and platitudes and commit to urgent reforms of systems and bureaucracies that contribute to women being abused and murdered.”
Ms Perry said leaders at a state and federal level to “be held to account and lead by example”, describing the epidemic levels of domestic and family violence as “a national crisis”.
The battle cry from White Ribbon comes as victim advocate Howard Brown has called on the NSW Government to overhaul bail laws to include psychiatric assessments before offenders are released into the community.
“Our justice system is failing women,” Mr Brown told this publication. “And the time for change in our bail laws is now because too many lives are being stolen.”
Mr Brown said the NSW Justice system was “placing victims of violent crimes at risk, with bail laws regularly releasing alleged offenders onto the streets”.
“Courts across the state should not be able to release alleged offenders into the community until that psychiatric evaluation is complete,” he said. “The courts know that they can’t really control violent people out in the community when they are on bail, so don’t put them out there.”
In response to the latest alleged tragedy, NSW Premier Chris Minns said a review would be undertaken after a “family has lost their daughter, and a little boy has lost his mother”.
“Our justice system must protect the community from those who pose an unacceptable risk.”
NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders described the death of Molly Ticehurst as a “senseless loss”.
“We need a full inquiry into this incident to give her family, loved ones and women across NSW the answers they deserve,” he said.
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese admitted the government “needs to do more” to grapple with the growing domestic violence crisis.
He said the government will continue to look into increasing domestic violence funding so victims have an outlet and “don’t feel like they’re entrapped in a relationship.”
But Molly Ticehurst’s death isn’t the first alleged devastating failure of the state’s bail failure.
Western Sydney woman and beloved teacher Dannielle Finlay-Jones was killed by serial domestic violence offender Ashley Gaddie in Cranebrook in 2022, who was on bail for charged of sexually touching and assaulting another woman, and intimidating police.
Meanwhile, Katherine Safranko was allegedly killed by her own son, 31-year-old Troy Safranko in October last year, just a day after he was granted bail over another alleged attack on her.
He was granted bail at Parramatta Local Court with a strict condition barring him from attending her home.
Just hours later, she was dead. He remains before the courts charged with her murder.In July last year, Dusan Rakic, who was released on bail, allegedly killed ex-wife Christine Rakic in Rooty Hill.
He remains before the courts, charged with murder.
While on March 25, 2022, Newcastle woman Mackenzie Anderson was allegedly murdered – discovered by police outside her home suffering from stab wounds – after her ex-partner Tyrone Thompson was released on bail.
He has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and his case remains before the courts.
‘Women don’t feel safe’: Minister’s tears over DV crisis
On Wednesday, Minister for Women Katy Gallagher held back tears while facing questioning over the rate of women killed by violence in Australia.
“It’s been a really tough year … This is a crisis in this country and women don’t feel safe,” she said on ABC Breakfast.
“I think how women feel about this in particular. And when we see, you know, it’s not safe to go out for a run, you go shopping, you take action against violent perpetrators, you do all the right things, and we still have these cases.
“I don’t think there’s one easy answer.”
The Senator said she would welcome a bigger conversation with men about women’s safety.
“I think it really helps when men speak up and talk to each other about all of the issues that lead to violence,” she said.
“And it’s not even violence, it’s some of the issues about how women are more broadly treated in the community that lead to some of these bigger issues.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume said the fact that 25 women have already died at the hands of their partners in 2024 meant the government faced a major problem.
“We should be looking for answers, because anybody that thinks that there isn’t a problem, a crisis, with violence against women in this country needs to wake up,” she said on Sunrise. “25 deaths at the hands of intimate partners in one year alone is unacceptable.
“But the fact that it’s only April and that’s the number we’re looking at should be setting off alarm bells.”
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the problem needs to be addressed at an education level.
“It comes off the back of the violence against women at Bondi and I can just tell you, it is exhausting as a woman just having to watch this, and for every woman out there getting up and reading about this in the papers every day, we can’t let this continue,” she also said on Sunrise.
“This is not a women’s issue that we can fix by fixing women.
“It’s men and their behaviour that has to change here, and we need men to be stepping up, having those conversations with their friends about this matter and talk about changing society for the better. We can’t go on like this.”
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