Molly Ticehurst: NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb condemns alleged murder of mum in Forbes, NSW

The NSW Police Commissioner has admitted the “horrific” alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst “should not have happened” amid a wave of domestic violence in Australia.

The body of the childcare worker and mother of one, 28, was found at her home in Forbes, about 137 km west of Sydneystart Monday.

Her ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings, 29, has been charged with murder and was on bail at the time.

He was previously accused of raping the young mother three times, stalking and harassing her four times, smashing her car windows and attacking her 12-week-old dachshund puppy.

Commissioner Webb is said to have been deeply affected by Ms Ticehurst’s death, describing it as a ‘terrible and downright heinous crime’ as she supported an urgent review of bail legislation by the Government ‘as a priority’.

“I have said from the beginning that the police department shares the sentiment of the community,” Chief Webb told police Sydney Morning Herald.

“This should not have happened and unfortunately it is not an isolated incident.”

She also backed a pledge by NSW Premier Chris Minns to overhaul bail laws in a bid to make NSW a safer state.

Ms Ticehurst was the 25th woman believed to have been murdered by a man in 2024.

Domestic violence has been a priority for Commissioner Webb since she was appointed to the top job two years ago.

‘I have always said that domestic violence is a silent crime. That has to change,” she said.

The commissioner added that the issue of domestic violence must be “kept in the spotlight” so that victims can feel empowered to speak out and seek help.

When asked If she wanted to see a change Friday in which court clerks don’t make decisions on serious cases like sexual assault or stalking, the commissioner said “certainly.”

“When I saw the lawyer’s announcement (about the review), he was clear that one of the suggestions being considered was that a prosecutor or a magistrate would consider bail, rather than a court clerk,” she told Ben Fordham of 2GB.

‘I support that if the government ends up there.

‘We have been lobbying for some time to make changes to bail laws, especially when it comes to protecting women and victims of sexual and domestic violence.

“We have a seat at that table and it’s important that we do.”

Commissioner Webb described the death of Molly Ticehurst (pictured) as a ‘terrible and downright heinous crime’

It comes after it emerged that Billings was free to roam – and reportedly enter Forbes in breach of a restriction order – following one court decision, followed by a second just days before Ms Ticehurst was allegedly murdered.

According to Nine newspapersWhen he appeared in court in Dubbo on Saturday to apply for bail on rape and stalking charges, the presiding officer was L Cusack, a court clerk, rather than a senior magistrate because magistrates do not work at weekends.

Clerks are trained in handling bail applications but, unlike magistrates, are not required to have a law degree.

At that court hearing on April 6, police argued before the court clerk that Billings posed a risk to his former partner and had threatened her.

However, the clerk agreed to release him on bail and imposed a $5,000 bond and a non-violent warrant on behalf of Mrs. Ticehurst, including the condition that he not enter the town of Forbes at all.

Last Thursday the charges were raised again at Dubbo Local Court before a magistrate, but this time police did not question whether he should be taken back into custody.

Mrs Ticehurst’s body was discovered at her home four days later.

Police arrested Billings, who allegedly fled to a property in Fifield, more than 60 miles away from Forbes, and he is now on bail and in custody.

Ms Ticehurst’s grieving father Tony Ticehurst told Nine: ‘If they had kept him in prison like the police wanted, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.’

Billings will appear at Orange Local Court on June 20.

Daniel Billings, 29, has been charged with the alleged murder of Ms Ticehurst and was on bail at the time for other serious offenses