Father of NSW domestic violence victim Molly Ticehurst says alleged murderer should have been in jail
The grief-stricken father of slain NSW mum Molly Ticehurst says his “beautiful” daughter’s alleged killer should have been in jail amid mounting anger over the increasing number of women murdered by men in Australia.
The NSW government has ordered a review into the bail release of Ticehurst’s alleged murderer Daniel Billings after it emerged on Tuesday that the boxer had allegedly raped and stalked his ex-girlfriend and injured her puppy in the months before her death.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday conceded the government should be doing more to prevent the “horrific” deaths of women as Ticehurst became at least the 25th to allegedly be killed by a man in Australia this year.
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Ticehurst’s father Tony Ticehurst on Tuesday said his daughter was a beautiful person and someone needed to be held responsible for her death.
“I can say all the normal stuff that people say about how their daughter was beautiful, but Molly really was,” Mr Ticehurst told Nine News.
“Someone’s got to be responsible.
“If they’d have kept him in jail as the police wanted, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
The body of Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare worker, was found in the early hours of Monday morning at a home in the town of Forbes in central NSW, about 370km west of Sydney.
Billings, a boxer from the Queensland town of Dalby, was arrested about 100km from the scene of the alleged crime at a property in Fifield.
He did not appear at Orange Local Court on Tuesday when the matter was heard.
Just weeks before Ticehurst’s alleged murder the 29-year-old boxer from Queensland had been released on an interim apprehended violence order and released on a $5000 bail by a registrar at Dubbo Local Court on April 6.
Court documents reveal Billings was charged with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four charges of stalking and intimidation as well as recklessly destroying Ticehurst’s car window and a pedestal fan as well as aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Shadow NSW police minister Paul Toole said the alleged murder of Ticehurst was devastating and it was tragic that yet another innocent life had been lost to domestic violence.
“This [Billings] is a man who was accused of multiple counts of rape, stalking and intimidation — he should have never been on the streets and again we shouldn’t be having this conversation,” he said.
“The police advised against bail and the courts did not listen. How serious does a charge have to be?”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said there were “legitimate questions” over why Billings was released as he announced a review into the decision to grant bail, which was opposed by police.
“A family has lost their daughter and the circumstances are horrifying for that community and that family,” he said.
“Listening to her dad ... your heart breaks for him, he’s justifiably angry, he’s completely heartbroken, he wants answers as to what’s happened.”
It is understood Mr Minns and NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley held an emergency meeting over Billings’ release on Tuesday.
Ms Ticehurst was at least the 25th woman to be allegedly killed by a man this year, according to the online advocacy group Counting Dead Women Australia.
Her death comes as NSW Police investigate whether Bondi Junction mass murderer Joel Cauchi, a drifter who battled schizophrenia, targeted women during his rampage at the Westfield shopping complex last week.
In Victoria, the city of Ballarat is grappling with the murder of three women in about two months.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said rates of domestic violence in Australia were “unacceptable” and the fact that one woman a week was dying at the hands of a partner or former partner was “horrific”.
“We need to do more as governments,” the Prime Minister told Seven.
“We need to do more as a society. We need to talk about this. We need men and boys to discuss these issues and give support to women who are in this situation.
“And we need laws to keep up as well. We need to support increased domestic violence funding for things like housing so that women have somewhere to escape to. They don’t feel like they’re entrapped in a relationship.
“It is obviously completely unacceptable that this is occurring and that it’s so prevalent.”
The death of Ticehurst, a beloved teaching assistant at a childcare centre, has left the town of Forbes, which has a population of about 8,000, reeling.
Melissa Shaw, who is the godmother of Ticehurst’s six-year-old son, said she wished she could turn back time.
“I want to wake up from this nightmare,” she wrote on social media.
“I want to wake up to see your name light up my phone I want to see you smile hear you laugh and watch you stuff your face with food.
“I wish I could rewind time and and fix this I want my godson to grow up with his mum.”
Another close friend Kellie Fliedner, wrote about the “special” friendship she shared with “Molly Jean”.
“(You) always cared about me, even when you should’ve been caring for yourself,” Ms Fliedner wrote.
“I will cherish every single moment I spent with you my girl and you are a superhero to everyone who ever had the privilege of having a piece of MJ in their lives.”
