Father of slain childcare worker awarded $1.3m payout
The family of murdered childcare worker Molly Ticehurst has won court in a separate case, amid anguish over delays in getting justice for their daughter.
Ms. Ticehurst’s father, Tony, was awarded more than $1.3 million in workers’ compensation on Tuesday after he suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury while working for Peabody Energy.
He was injured in December 2021 while driving a coal dump truck for the mining company on a potholed road at the Wilpinjong Mine in central western NSW.
The rough surface caused Mr Ticehurst to bounce around in the cab of the truck, but when he demanded the road be smoothed he was told the request was “on the dance card”.
He kept driving because he wasn’t sure how long it would last, leaving his neck in so much pain that he couldn’t work the next day, the NSW District Court was told.
Medical evidence presented to the court showed Mr Ticehurst had ongoing pain in his spine, neck and arm which forced him into early retirement.
In her ruling, Judge Wendy Strathdee said the 67-year-old needed surgery and was still struggling to complete household chores such as making a bed.
Molly Ticehurst, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in April 2024, had helped him once a week before his death.
“His quality of life has diminished significantly,” Judge Strathdee said.
“Plaintiff’s injury affected nearly every aspect of his life.”
Peabody argued that it had not breached its duty of care to Mr Ticehurst, who should have reported the matter or stopped working on the day of the incident.
But the ambitious 67-year-old was required to drive appropriately for the conditions and his employer had a duty to protect him from the foreseeable risk of injury arising from rough roads.
Judge Strathdee ruled in Peabody’s favor, finding that his negligence contributed to his injuries.
It awarded Mr Ticehurst damages of more than $414,000 in past economic loss and more than $646,000 in future economic loss.
Peabody Energy has been contacted for comment.
The decision came a day after a separate court dealt a blow to the Ticehurst family by delaying the sentencing of Ticehurst’s killer, Daniel Billings.
He fatally stabbed the childcare worker 15 times in a violent attack in the mid-western NSW town of Forbes after repeatedly threatening to break into her bedroom.
He had previously been charged with the rape of Ms Ticehurst and various charges of domestic violence but was granted bail by the local court clerk on 6 April 2024.
The case attracted national attention and Mr Ticehurst said the lengthy negotiations had caused “anxiety, sadness and heartache” for their family.
Billings was due to be sentenced in June but the case was postponed after a psychiatrist found he planned to kill himself after killing Miss Ticehurst.
The sentencing hearing will be held in September so the psychiatrist can present evidence.
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