The mother of a woman murdered by her Bumble date claimed her daughter would be alive if he were not out on bail.
Danielle Finlay-Jones, 31, was found brutally murdered in the guest bedroom of her friend’s home in Cranebrook, West Sydney, in December 2022.
His killer, Ashley Gaddie, 35, was arrested soon after and committed suicide in his cell at the Clarence Correctional Center, near Grafton, in April.
At the time of the attack, Gaddie had arrest warrants against him from five women and was out on bail for an alleged assault on a woman.
Finlay-Jones’ mother Jacky said her daughter would have had no way of knowing Gaddie’s violent past when they first met.
“If he hadn’t been out on bail, Danni would be alive today,” Jacky told 60 Minutes.
His comment comes as experts call for stricter bail conditions for domestic violence offenders to curb Australia’s violence against women crisis.
The mother of a “beautiful” woman murdered by her serially abusive Bumble date Jacky (pictured) has said her daughter would “still be alive” if she was not granted bail over previous charges.
Gaddie and Finlay-Jones went on a date in a pub after meeting on Bumble hours earlier.
They then spent the night at Finlay-Jones’ friend’s house, before her housemates found her body with horrific head injuries in the bedroom the next day.
Her friends revealed that Finlay-Jones thought she had done the right thing by setting up a meeting with Gaddie in a public place and bringing him back to her friend’s house.
But unbeknownst to her, Gaddie had a history of violence against women and had previously tried to kill his ex-girlfriend Rachel Piekar, 33.
She was one of five women who took arrested violence orders against him before his fatal attack on Ms Finlay-Jones.
‘I told people when I went to court: “He’ll kill the next one.” He is an absolutely violent and controlling narcissist. But at first you think he’s charming,” said Mrs Piekar.
Gaddie staged a 12-hour standoff at a clifftop lookout in the Blue Mountains until officers caught him and arrested him.
Danielle Finlay-Jones, 31, was found brutally murdered in the guest bedroom of her friend’s house in December 2022, just hours after meeting her killer for the first time.
His attacker, Ashley Gaddie (pictured), was out on bail for assaulting a woman and five women took it out on him. He committed suicide in prison in April.
Elise Phillips, deputy chief executive of Domestic Violence NSW, said gender inequality was driving a male violence crisis in Australia.
“It’s when we turn a blind eye that we see disrespectful behavior, it’s when we make excuses for violence,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It’s also the inequality we see in relation to salaries and the roles we play in our families, how we divide childcare and household care.
“This is about ensuring we have equity, representation and equal numbers of women in parliament and as CEOs and leaders of private sector companies.”
He added that the deaths of at least 27 women this year were preventable.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, call Crisis Care Helpling 1800 RESPECT on 1800 199 008.
