Mackenzie Anderson's abuser was out on parole for two weeks. Then he killed her.

Mackenzie Anderson was so loved. She was a new mother, a daughter, a friend. She deserved to feel safe.

Instead, she was failed, let down by a system that was meant to help her.

On March 25, 2022, Mackenzie was stabbed to death at her home in Mayfield, Newcastle in NSW.

Police arrived about 10:40pm to a "horrendous" scene following reports her former partner Tyrone Thompson had broken into her home.

Thompson was just two weeks out of jail and on parole for a previous domestic violence attack on Mackenzie.

Before his release, he had agreed to a fresh condition on an apprehended domestic violence order: he couldn't contact Mackenzie. This was on top of the mandatory conditions of not assaulting, threatening, stalking, intimidating or harassing the 21-year-old, per the Newcastle News.

Despite this, he spent most of the day socialising with her at the apartment. When she asked him to leave, he refused, prompting Mackenzie to call the police.

Only then did Thompson leave.

But moments later, he returned, storming into Mackenzie's unit and stabbing her 78 times.

Mackenzie was treated at the scene by paramedics, but died from her significant injuries.

She left behind a one-year-old boy.

At the time, Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey described bodyworn footage of the scene as "horrendous".

Her young son, who is not related to Thompson, was found uninjured but "covered in blood".

Watch: Women and violence: The hidden numbers. Post continues below.

A killer sentenced.

Thompson's brutal murder of Mackenzie had such ferocity that one of the two knives he used snapped.

On Friday, he was jailed for 22 years and six months, with a non-parole period of 15 years and six months.

Justice Weinstein said the Crown submitted that the seriousness of the crime was aggravated by previous domestic violence in the relationship, Mackenzie's fear of Thompson and her attempts to end the relationship, which he refused to accept.

The judge noted Mackenzie's family had been shattered by her murder and left with feelings of helplessness, despair and anger.

Her loss would profoundly impact her family forever and her death at such a young age was "every parent's nightmare", he said.

Mackenzie Anderson was just 21 when she was murdered. Image: Instagram/theyareyourdaughters.

Thompson, 25, watched the sentencing via audiovisual link from prison instead of facing Mackenzie's grieving family in court. He had been due to stand trial for murder before pleading guilty earlier in April.

The judge detailed some of Thompson's past mental health issues, including how he had delusions of being poisoned by microplastics which he believed were turning him into a woman and of being controlled by a government run by the Kardashians.

He also made reference to the domestic violence Thompson suffered as a child at the hands of his violent, schizophrenic, drug-addled father, his difficult schooling and said exposure to drugs had diminished his moral culpability.

In a letter of remorse to the judge, Thompson — who was diagnosed with a complex post-traumatic stress disorder and severe personality disorder but was not considered psychotic — claimed the pair had struggled with a knife and when his hand was cut "something inside me lost control".

Mackenzie's mother, Tabitha Acret, had told the court how her daughter must have suffered a "fear no human should ever know" on the night she was murdered and had been convinced Thompson would kill her after being paroled.

'This sentence is what they think the value of my daughter's life was worth'

Tabitha ran sobbing from the courtroom after the sentence was handed down and collapsed on the floor outside.

Standing outside Newcastle court, Tabitha said she was outraged and disgusted by the sentence and urged prosecutors to immediately appeal it.

She said while no sentence could bring her daughter back, "we are outraged by today's outcome".

Mackenzie's killer was jailed for 22 years and six months, with a non-parole period of 15 years and six months. Image: Supplied.

"Whilst this might be thought of as a good outcome for the courts, we are disgusted that this sentence is what they think the value of my daughter's life was worth," Tabitha said.

"Justice (Richard) Weinstein's sentence was an insult to women globally and I call for an urgent appeal of this sentence."

She added that she "place(s) a great deal of blame for my daughter's death on the justice system", given the fact Thompson was on parole when he murdered Mackenzie.

She said judges often handed down sentences which were far too light when the nation was in the midst of an epidemic of gender-based violence, and there needed to be an investigation into the practice.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he couldn't begin to imagine the pain being felt by Mackenzie's family.

"They rightly deserve justice for the horrific murder of their daughter," he said in a statement.

"I have been advised that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering the sentence in line with the Prosecution Guidelines."

'That call from police took my breath away.'

In the months after Mackenzie's death, Tabitha spoke of her anguish over the fact she bought the kitchen knives used to kill her daughter.

She told Mamamia she learnt of Mackenzie's death the day after her birthday. She was on holiday in Cairns with her son and had only just toasted her marvellous life, sharing how she felt so lucky.

"A couple of hours after police arrived at the scene, I received the call that changed my life. In that moment it was like time stood still — I almost felt very calm as shock quickly set in," Tabitha said.

"I was in shock trying to comprehend what I had just been told; my daughter was gone."

As she travelled back to Sydney, Tabitha's mind raced over what she could have done differently to prevent the tragedy.

"But also, how am I going to tell my son his sister has died? How am I going to tell the rest of my family? How am I going to survive?"

In the weeks and months that followed, Tabitha went into survival mode. She had to stay strong for her son and for Mackenzie's little boy.

Each milestone — Easter, her son's birthday, Mazkenzie's son's birthday, her own birthday — is a cruel reminder of the hole her daughter's death left in her life.

"My daughter's birthday was a horrible reminder of how young her life was, how much of her potential was ripped away and how her son will now navigate life without her," Tabitha said.

"My life has gone from marvellous to survival where many days you question the want to survive."

But each day, Tabitha wakes up and chooses to fight. She channelled her grief into action and launched They Are Our Daughters, an advocacy page and podcast calling for action on domestic violence.

Mackenzie was a young mum to a little boy. Image: Instagram/theyareyourdaughters.

Speaking to Mamamia after her daughter's death, Tabitha said she hopes for greater action on violence against women.

She wants ankle monitoring bracelets for domestic violence offenders, stronger parole and bail restrictions, and nationwide education on coercive control, so that victim-survivors across the country know what the laws mean for their safety. She's also campaigning for compulsory counselling and rehabilitation programs for offenders.

"It's not just reactive measures that we need, but preventative too. Because if we really want change, we need to get to the root of the problem," Tabitha said.

"The night that Mackenzie was murdered, my partner said to me, 'I can't believe this has happened.' I turned to him and said — 'believe it. It happens every week. We've just now become a part of it'."

'Lost but never forgotten.'

Following Thompson's guilty plea, she shared a powerful message saying there was still a long road ahead.

"We are relieved our family and friends do not have to endure the further trauma of trial where we would have been subjected to photos and videos of the night. But this process is far from over," she wrote.

"We are hoping for a sentence that reflects the crime but history has not shown us that this is the case all the time. So the fight continues.

"The overwhelming feeling of today is sadness. We miss our daughter so much, no matter what the punishment is we never get her back and our lives are forever changed.

"My advocacy will continue, my flight will continue to help other families and hopefully prevent more deaths and trauma."

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A post shared by They are our daughters podcast (@theyareourdaughters)

In a touching tribute to Mackenzie, Tabitha asked people to have a dance and sing out loud for her daughter.

"For her life was worthy of celebration and let's remember the beautiful smiley girl we lost but never forgotten."

If you or anyone you know needs to speak with an expert, please contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) — the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

This article was published in March 2022 and has been updated.

Feature Image: Instagram/theyareourdaughters.

-WITH APP