Molly Ticehurst's former partner pleads guilty to her murder
A man has pleaded guilty to murdering childcare worker Molly Ticehurst in central western New South Wales last year.The 28-year-old was found dead in her home in Forbes in April 2024 and her former partner Daniel Billings, 30, was charged with her murder.Billings appeared in Forbes Local Court via video on Friday morning to face charges including murder, aggravated sexual assault, sexual intercourse without consent, breaching an apprehended violence order and animal cruelty.Daniel Billings has pleaded guilty to killing his former partner. (Supplied)His defence lawyer, Diane Elston, told the court her client "enters a plea of guilty to the charge of murder".Billings also made an admission of guilt to a number of other charges, including breaching an apprehended violence order.Ms Ticehurst's family and friends were in the courtroom for the hearing.In a park outside the courtroom, a group of supporters organised by a family friend gathered before the hearing to support Ms Ticehurst's parents.Magistrate Michael Maher presided over the hearing at Forbes Local Court. (ABC Central West: Joanna Woodburn)Following the plea Ms Ticehurst's father, Tony Ticehurst, thanked the community for its support."Each week I'm thankful for the support from the people of Forbes, but today is a special day," he said."I really appreciate the support from the people of Forbes and surrounds."Staff at Forbes Learning Ladder, the childcare centre where Ms Ticehurst worked, also paid tribute."It's been a big weight on everyone's shoulders to move forward with the loss of Molly," centre manager Jodie Dukes said."I just hope now moving forward it's a quicker process for her family and the community."Court documents made available for the first time on Friday detailed shocking threats that Billings made to Ms Ticehurst in the days before her death.He admitted to acquaintances what he had done shortly after the murder, one of whom then called Triple Zero.Ms Ticehurst's death rocked her local community and galvanised campaigners to push for legislative reforms relating to domestic violence offences.In June 2024 the NSW government passed a law making it mandatory for electronic monitoring devices to be worn by people who were on bail for certain domestic violence charges.Those accused of serious domestic violence offences must also now demonstrate why they should be given bail and court registrars are no longer allowed to make bail decisions.Flower tributes for Molly Ticehurst were left outside her home in Forbes in 2024. (ABC News: Olivia Ralph)Friends of Ms Ticehurst had called for the state government to name the reforms "Molly's Law" in memory of the 28-year-old, but Premier Chris Minns said he wanted the legislation to reflect all victims of domestic violence.On Friday, NSW Premier Chris Minns described the killing as a shocking crime."The family has been absolutely rocked as has the community," Mr Minns said."It's a lost life [for] someone who had so much to give … a wonderful close family and someone who had hundreds of friends and has been robbed by a shocking, violent crime."Mr Minns said many of the changes made to bail laws in NSW happened following Ms Ticehurst's death."I apologise for that as I wish they were made prior to that," he said."But we now have the strongest laws in the country when it comes to accessing bail for very serious domestic violence offences.""Remand rates have gone up, but we believe it's necessary to keep the community safe."
