Arabic version: أصدقاء مولي تايسهيرست يطالبون بحماية أقوى بعد وفاتها
According to ABC News, Molly Ticehurst’s family and closest friends say apprehended violence orders and bail conditions do not provide enough protection for women at risk of domestic violence. Ms Ticehurst’s mother, Kate Shaw, and friend Meg Sladek found her AVO in the mailbox while packing up her home after her death. “Fat lot of good that was, wasn’t it?” Ms Sladek recalled Ms Shaw saying.
The 28-year-old childcare worker was killed at her Forbes home in central western New South Wales in April 2024 by former partner Daniel Billings, 31. He was sentenced to 28 years in jail after pleading guilty to murder in the NSW Supreme Court in November 2025. Billings had been served an AVO after he was charged with sexual assault and domestic violence offences on April 5, 2024. Bail conditions barred him from entering Forbes or contacting Ms Ticehurst, while the AVO included a 10-kilometre exclusion zone from her home. Two weeks after being granted bail, he broke into her home and killed her.
Her murder prompted NSW bail reforms that make it harder for alleged perpetrators to obtain bail and require electronic ankle monitoring for serious domestic violence offences. Her friends support the changes but say alleged offenders should remain in custody until their cases are heard. Childhood friend Aidan Clarke said an AVO was ineffective if an offender was determined not to comply, while friend Gaby Shepherd said she believed nothing would have stopped Billings from trying to reach Ms Ticehurst.
Anne-Marie Mioche of CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes said the onus should be on keeping alleged offenders away to protect women and children. NSW Coroners Court figures show 366 domestic violence homicides involving an intimate partner since 2000, with an apprehended domestic violence order in place in 88 of those cases. Independent Orange MP Phil Donato said AVOs and bail conditions only worked when alleged offenders complied.
Friends and local representatives also raised concerns about police availability in regional towns. Forbes Police Station is not staffed around the clock, and the nearest overnight station is 30 kilometres away in Parkes at certain times. Mayor Phyllis Miller said she was seeking the restoration of 24-hour policing in Forbes. NSW Police said smaller stations have varying operating hours backed by after-hours and on-call arrangements, and that police vehicles can respond according to demand.
