"It must have been absolutely terrifying for Ms Ticehurst to die knowing that her worst fears had been realised."

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Those were the words of Justice Natalie Adams as she sentenced 31-year-old Daniel Billings in the Supreme Court sitting at Orange.

They are words that will linger in the hearts of the Forbes community, and across regional NSW, for a very long time.

Yet as Billings was led away to serve a sentence that makes him eligible for parole in April 2044 - when he will be just 49 years old - it is impossible to escape the haunting reality that Molly Ticehurst was failed when she was alive, and many in the community feel the legal framework has failed her once again in death.

From the moment severe domestic violence and sexual assault allegations were raised, the legal safeguards designed to protect vulnerable women faltered.

Billings was granted bail, free to harbour his dangerous obsession.

On an April night in 2024, armed with a hunting knife and singing along to Johnny Cash on his way to her home, he executed a calculated, horrific crime.

Her murder sparked a national reckoning.

It forced the NSW Parliament to overhaul state bail laws - introducing mandatory show cause thresholds and electronic tracking under what will be forever known as Molly's Law. Her legacy will undoubtedly save the lives of countless........

© The Examiner