00:01The sentencing hearing today for Daniel Billings has focused particularly on his mental health
00:06in the lead-up to the murder of Molly Tyshurst, his former partner.
00:12The 28-year-old child care worker and mother was found dead in her home in Forbes in the
00:17New South Wales Central West in April 2024.
00:20Daniel Billings pleaded guilty to that murder in November 2025.
00:25Over the course of the two-day hearing, there's been a particular focus on Daniel Billings' mental health.
00:31They've heard from two forensic psychiatrists who both agreed that Daniel Billings had a form of depression
00:38when he carried out the murder of Miss Tyshurst.
00:41However, Professor Daniel Greenberg told the court that the nature of Daniel Billings' depression
00:49was only a factor in the murder and there was other instances in terms of his aggression
00:54towards Miss Tyshurst that was a more important factor.
00:57He told the court,
00:58I'm not dismissing his depression because it was a significant issue,
01:02but there is other information that suggests there are other factors involved.
01:06Over the court proceedings, a series of depressing videos were played in court
01:10in which Billings expressed a desire to meet with Molly Tyshurst on the day of her murder
01:15and he expected it not to end well.
01:18Threatening and coercive text messages were also presented to the courthouse
01:22in which Billings made threats to Molly Tyshurst in the lead-up to Molly's murder.
01:29Daniel Billings was out on bail at the time of the murder for a series of offences he'd been charged
01:36with
01:36alleged to have been committed against Molly Tyshurst, including rape, which he denied,
01:41as well as animal cruelty and damaging property.
01:44Justice Natalie Adams told the court the sentence will boil down to finding
01:48whether his depression illness contributed to the offence in a material way.
01:54A statement was also released by Molly's mother, Kate Shaw, this afternoon
01:59after the proceedings came to a conclusion.
02:01She said in a statement,
02:16This is in reference to Daniel Billings being out on bail at the time of the murder.
02:21Following Miss Tyshurst's death, a host of bail reforms were introduced in New South Wales.
02:28This included it being mandatory for people accused of serious domestic violence offences
02:33when let out on bail to wear electronic monitoring devices.
02:37It also removed the ability for registrars to grant bail
02:41and it required people accused of serious domestic violence offences
02:45to explain why they should be granted bail.
02:49Justice Adams will hand down her sentence findings next Friday in the Orange Supreme Court.
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