Tyrone Thompson faces sentence hearing for murdering Mackenzie Anderson

The mother of murder victim Mackenzie Anderson – stabbed 78 times by her ex-boyfriend – has told a court that her daughter was failed by a system she had begged to help her after predicting her own death.

Mackenzie Anderson was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Tyrone Thompson in 2022. Thompson is now facing a sentence hearing.

Mackenzie Anderson had predicted her murder at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, had begged for help before he was released from jail on domestic violence offences against her and was let down by a system that failed her, her grieving mother has told a court.

Tabitha Acret bravely faced her daughter’s murderer, Tyrone Thompson, in the NSW Supreme Court in Newcastle on Monday, telling a sentencing hearing in a victim impact statement that her family had only discovered after her 21-year-old daughter’s death how she had pleaded with domestic violence advocacy groups for help as she feared for her life.

It included wanting assistance with security doors and cameras to keep her safe as she was “convinced Tyrone would murder her on release”, only to discover an email reply from a group after Ms Anderson’s death stating they were closing her request “because you’re now dead and no longer qualify for support”.

“Mackenzie did everything she should to try and keep safe, but was constantly failed by the system,” Ms Acret said.

“Her death was no surprise but, instead, a death in slow motion.”

Mackenzie Anderson with mum Tabitha Acret. Picture: Instagram.

Thompson was on parole and banned from seeing Ms Anderson when he stabbed her 78 times in less than three minutes inside her own Mayfield unit in 2022.

Thompson, now aged 25, pleaded guilty to murder in NSW Supreme Court earlier this month, just days before he was supposed to face trial.

Tabitha Acret has bravely read a victim impact statement in the NSW Supreme Court in Newcastle. (File picture Sue Graham)

An agreed statement of facts said the then 22-year-old used two knives in the frenzied attack just 16 days after he was released from prison for domestic violence offences against her.

On the first morning of a sentence hearing which had been expected to last two days, Ms Acret read one of five victim impact statements in front of Thompson and Justice Richard Weinstein.

However, after a brief adjournment so Thompson could meet with his legal team, Justice Weinstein was told that Thompson had instructed his lawyers that he did not wish for them to continue representing him.

The court heard there would be attempts to “repair the relationship" and the sentencing hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.

Tyrone Thompson is facing a sentence hearing for murdering his ex-girlfriend Mackenzie Anderson. Picture: Instagram.

Earlier, Ms Acret told the court that every special occasion in the lives of her family and friends was now laced with grief.

“Mother’s Day is especially painful,” she said.

“It’s supposed to be a celebration, but instead, it’s a reminder that the child who made me a mother is no longer here.

“This is a heartbreak I carry every single day. Her death didn’t just end her life, it changed mine completely.”

Ms Acret said that her immense grief was also joined with sorrow and guilt, stating that shame had caused Ms Anderson to hide the extent of violence she had experienced at the hands of Thompson until only a couple of days before she was murdered.

“I’ll forever feel guilt that I wasn’t more supportive, and there were so many things I wish I had done...,” she said.

The court heard that grief and feelings of guilt had also had a significant impact on a friend of Ms Anderson’s who was with her and Thompson on the day she was murdered, and how his life had spiralled out of control since her death.

Tyrone Thompson arrives at a court appearance in Sydney earlier this month. Picture: Nine News

Ms Anderson’s stepfather told the court of how Ms Anderson had brought “joy, laughter and love” into his life as he watched her grow into a beautiful, intelligent and compassionate young woman who had filled his heart with immense pride.

He said Ms Anderson had worked hard to create a beautiful life for her and her family, with dreams and aspirations and was “on the path to achieving them”.

“I urge the court to consider the profound impact that this crime has had on my life and the lives of those who love Mackenzie,” he said.

“Justice for her is not just about punishment. It is about acknowledging the pain and suffering that her loss has caused.

“It is about ensuring that no other family has to endure this kind of heartache.”

Ms Anderson’s three best friends said through a combined victim’s impact statement that she was not just a friend but “our chosen family, our sister, the person we could always count on no matter what”.

The NSW Supreme Court in Newcastle has heard that Mackenzie Anderson continued to shine and make people happy despite years of suffering at the hands of Tyrone Thompson.

“She was taken from this world in the most violent and heartbreaking way, stabbed to death by someone who once claimed to love her,” they said.

“She was killed in her own home, the place everyone should feel the safest. The pain of that really haunts us.”

They later added: “The memories we shared are now painful reminders of what was stolen from us – the laughter, the plans we made, the moments we thought we’d have for a lifetime, all of it was ripped away in an instant by someone so evil.

“No one should have to endure the kind of pain that we and so many others who loved Mackenzie have suffered.

“Her life mattered. Her presence in this world made a difference, and her absence leaves a void that can never be filled.”

Her friends spoke of the relentless domestic abuse Ms Anderson had suffered at the hands of Thompson as he tried to “break her spirit, to isolate her, to hate, to take her voice”.

They said that despite Ms Anderson having to fight daily to exist, she was still able to shine.

“He thought that by taking her life, he could erase her voice, her strength, her power,” they said.

“But he failed, because even in death, she is stronger than he will ever be.”

They also added: “[We] strongly believe that Tyrone Thompson is a danger to others. The level of violence, control and cruelty he showed was not a one-time act.

“It was the final fatal step in a long pattern of abuse. He didn’t just take a life. He made a choice to kill someone he had already been hurting for years.”