The man who brutally murdered 28-year-old childcare worker Molly Ticehurst in an act of calculated revenge has been sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Daniel Billings, 31, appeared in the NSW Supreme Court in Orange on Friday, remaining expressionless as Justice Natalie Adams handed down a non-parole period of 20 years. Billings, who will be eligible for release in April 2044, was sentenced for the “senseless and brutal” killing of his former partner in her Forbes home in the early hours of 22 April 2024.
Justice Adams condemned the murder as a crime of extreme hatred and retribution. The court heard that Billings, a former mine worker, had long threatened to break into Ms. Ticehurst’s bedroom to kill her after she ended their relationship in December 2023. Ms. Ticehurst had courageously reported his campaign of stalking, intimidation, and sexual assault to police, resulting in an apprehended violence order (AVO) and criminal charges.
Despite these warnings, Billings was granted bail by a local court registrar just a fortnight before the murder because no judge was on duty that weekend. Enraged by the allegations of rape, which he vehemently denied, Billings recorded videos on his phone in the hours leading up to the attack, documenting his intent to harm Ms. Ticehurst.
“It must have been absolutely terrifying for Ms. Ticehurst to die knowing her worst fears were realised,” Justice Adams said, noting that the murder was carried out in the exact manner the victim had previously feared. Billings broke into the home and stabbed Ms. Ticehurst 15 times with a hunting knife in a frenzied attack that lasted less than a minute.
Justice Adams noted that the crime was compounded by the fact that it served as a “public justice offence,” as Billings had effectively murdered the only witness to his pending sexual assault trial. Following the murder, those sexual assault charges were dropped as part of a plea deal that saw Billings admit to the murder after more than 500 days of legal negotiations.
The courtroom was filled with palpable grief, with friends of Ms. Ticehurst, including Gaby Shepherd, holding a photo of the victim as the sentence was delivered. Billings, however, refused to look at the gallery, instead shaking his head whenever the sexual assault allegations were referenced by the judge.
The murder of Ms. Ticehurst became a flashpoint for national outrage, triggering significant legislative reform in New South Wales. Changes following the tragedy included stripping court registrars of the power to grant bail in domestic violence cases and introducing mandatory electronic monitoring for high-risk defendants.
While the sentence marks the end of the legal proceedings, the judge acknowledged the profound and lasting void left by the victim’s death, offering her condolences to a family and community left devastated by the brutal act.
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