The New South Wales government has ordered a review of the decisions a court made to bail a man facing charges of raping and stalking Molly Ticehurst, and who has subsequently been charged with her murder.
The premier, Chris Minns, said he would announce the details of the review on Wednesday after Daniel Billings was charged with the domestic violence murder of his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend.
Ticehurst’s body was found in a home in Forbes in the state’s central west early on Monday morning. Police have described the alleged murder as “brutal”.
Billings, 29, was arrested about 100kms away in Fifield later that day. The Queensland man was charged with murder, breaching an apprehended violence order (AVO) and failing to comply with bail conditions.
The alleged murder has prompted an outpouring of grief and anger after a court heard that Billings had earlier been released on bail on other charges. Those charges included three counts of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of stalking and intimidating Ticehurst.
“A family has lost their daughter and a little boy has lost his mother,” Minns said on Tuesday.
“This has devastated the community in Forbes. It’s heartbreaking for Molly Ticehurst’s family.”
Ticehurst’s father, Tony Ticehurst, said his daughter had been “loved by so many”, including the children she cared for as an early childhood educator.
“The young kids, if they [saw] her downtown they’d run up to her and want to talk to her,” he told Nine News.
“I could say all the normal stuff that people say about how their daughter was beautiful, but Molly really was.”
Minns said the NSW government was seeking “all available information”.
“The attorney-general is leading that inquiry and will share it with the people of the state as soon as it comes down.”
Billings did not apply for bail when he faced the Orange local court on the murder charge for the first time on Tuesday.
Magistrate David Day also revoked Billings’ bail regarding the earlier charges.
The court heard that the earlier charges also included two counts of recklessly destroying a car window and a pedestal fan at her house and aggravated animal cruelty against her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.
Before the court appearance, Det Insp Jason Darcy said Billings and Ticehurst had been in a relationship.
Darcy had described the killing as “brutal”, adding it had left Ticehurst’s family devastated.
“Naturally, they’re just distraught,” he told reporters on Monday.