The 28-year-old mother from Forbes, NSW, had tried to end her relationship with Billings, but his violent and threatening behaviour continued to escalate.
Her friend Aidan Clarke tells Australian Story that Molly Ticehurst wanted to move forward with her life, but Billings would not allow it.
“She wanted to move on with her life and he couldn’t allow that to happen”,
“It was the phone calls, it was the turning up at her house.”
Police arrested and charged Billings, but he was subsequently released on bail.
Clarke recalls the impact that decision had on Ticehurst.
“When Daniel had been given bail, I just remember she said she just cried that whole day”,
The circumstances leading up to Ticehurst’s death have also prompted questions about the handling of the case.
Former police prosecutor Phil Donato asks how the events were able to unfold despite the warning signs.
“When you look in hindsight, potential failures in the system that occurred in the lead up, it’s like how did this happen?”
The murder of Molly Ticehurst prompted widespread reaction across Australia, with her death drawing further attention to high levels of domestic violence.
It also sparked outrage over the circumstances surrounding the case and led to a tightening of bail laws in NSW.
In The Girl Next Door – Molly Ticehurst, Australian Story will hear exclusively from Ticehurst’s family and friends as they remember the young woman and reflect on the impact of her death.
The program describes Ticehurst as a woman whose smile lit up a room, while examining the legacy left by her death and the questions raised by the events that preceded it.
Australian Story: The Girl Next Door – Molly Ticehurst airs Monday 14 September at 8pm on ABC and iview.
Australian Story will tonight examine the murder of Forbes mother Molly Ticehurst, as Daniel Billings prepares to be sentenced this week for killing his former partner.
The 28-year-old mother from Forbes, NSW, had tried to end her relationship with Billings, but his violent and threatening behaviour continued to escalate.
Her friend Aidan Clarke tells Australian Story that Molly Ticehurst wanted to move forward with her life, but Billings would not allow it.
“She wanted to move on with her life and he couldn’t allow that to happen”,
“It was the phone calls, it was the turning up at her house.”
Police arrested and charged Billings, but he was subsequently released on bail.
Clarke recalls the impact that decision had on Ticehurst.
“When Daniel had been given bail, I just remember she said she just cried that whole day”,
The circumstances leading up to Ticehurst’s death have also prompted questions about the handling of the case.
Former police prosecutor Phil Donato asks how the events were able to unfold despite the warning signs.
“When you look in hindsight, potential failures in the system that occurred in the lead up, it’s like how did this happen?”
The murder of Molly Ticehurst prompted widespread reaction across Australia, with her death drawing further attention to high levels of domestic violence.
It also sparked outrage over the circumstances surrounding the case and led to a tightening of bail laws in NSW.
In The Girl Next Door – Molly Ticehurst, Australian Story will hear exclusively from Ticehurst’s family and friends as they remember the young woman and reflect on the impact of her death.
The program describes Ticehurst as a woman whose smile lit up a room, while examining the legacy left by her death and the questions raised by the events that preceded it.
