Carly was looking for help. Instead, she found the man who killed her | SMH

Just days after Carly McBride was murdered in an act of “unrestrained brutality”, a letter from a women’s support service landed on her mother’s doorstep – had it come earlier it could have saved her life.

McBride’s story should have been about a determined mother-of-two in recovery. Instead, it was cut short by a violent abuser who reached her through the cracks of a system entrusted with her life.

McBride had been murdered by a former professional martial arts fighter who she had met at a rehabilitation centre for men and women eight weeks before she vanished. Her mother had tried to find her a spot in a women’s centre, but there were no beds.

“When Carly [was killed] I got a letter from a women’s rehab saying she was accepted. That’s what should have happened,” her mother, Lorraine Williams, said through tears.

Her killer, who the Herald has chosen not to name, is serving 27 years in prison for the murder. Last month, he lost an appeal to be released earlier.

McBride had battled depression and bipolar disorder in the final years of her life. Drugs and domestic violence followed.

“I said, ‘Carly you’re going to a woman’s rehab’. But she couldn’t get in, the long waiting list, just another barrier.”

Around regional NSW small support services have laboured under massive demand. The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has noted consistently higher rates of domestic violence assault in the regions than in Sydney.

In the decade since her daughter’s death, Williams has watched hundreds of women lose their lives to abuse and fears – “nothing has changed”.

Source: 12ft

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