The year 2025 was marked by a series of high-profile and deeply shocking court cases across the Illawarra region, proceedings that captivated the community and delivered sobering verdicts. From the downfall of a prominent politician to tragic acts of violence involving young people, the local justice system was kept busy with matters that resonated far beyond the courtroom walls.
A Former MP's Dramatic Fall from Grace
One of the most significant legal stories of the year centred on former Kiama MP Gareth Ward. In May, he stood trial appearing confident he would defeat allegations of sexually assaulting two young men. However, after a nine-week trial, a jury returned guilty verdicts on one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecent assault.
The assaults occurred against an 18-year-old man at Ward's Meroo Meadow home in 2013 and a 24-year-old man at his Potts Point apartment in 2015. Following his conviction, Ward resigned from the NSW Parliament, though not before attempting to legally block his expulsion. He also dropped a defamation case against Sydney radio station 2SM.
In October 2025, Ward was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. The case, however, is not over, as Ward maintains his innocence and has filed a notice of intention to appeal his conviction, meaning the legal saga will likely continue into 2026.
Youth Crime and Community Tragedy
The community was left reeling in January when 25-year-old Jack Westren was stabbed to death at a Shellharbour train station on a hot afternoon. The shock deepened as police laid charges against seven children and one woman in connection with the killing.
The children, five boys and two girls, were aged between 12 and 15 at the time of being charged. Initially, only a 39-year-old Albion Park Rail woman, Tamara Lee Doust, and a 15-year-old boy faced murder charges. The others were charged with offences including affray and being an accessory after the fact to murder. In a major development in October, police upgraded the charges against five of the teenagers to murder, with four subsequently having their bail revoked.
In another distressing case, four teenage girls, now aged 16 and 17, pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the stabbing death of 39-year-old Kristie Mcbride in Warrawong in November 2023. The girls were due to face a murder trial in October 2025 but entered their pleas after extensive pre-trial arguments. A sentencing hearing was set for December 15.
Violence among youths was also highlighted in the sentencing of two teen boys and a man, Blake Stokes, for the brutal bashing of an 18-year-old international student at Fairy Meadow Beach in February 2024. The attack, which involved the victim's head being kicked and stomped on, left him with a severe brain injury. The perpetrators were jailed in September.
Breakthroughs in Cold Cases and Family Violence
There was a major breakthrough in a decades-old mystery when, in May 2025, detectives charged Leon Boeyen in relation to the disappearance of Wollongong mother Pauline Sowry. Boeyen was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder and concealing an indictable offence. Ms Sowry was last seen by her family in December 1993, and Boeyen is accused of assisting two people who allegedly took and murdered her in June 1994 following a dispute over money.
The courts also dealt with several alarming cases of alleged family violence. A Horsley grandmother, who cannot be named, was charged with stabbing her 10-year-old grandson in the neck and her daughter-in-law in the abdomen on West Dapto Road in Wongawilli in June. During a bail hearing, the court heard her alleged actions were possibly linked to her use of the diabetes and weight-loss medication Ozempic.
In a separate and harrowing matter, an Illawarra father is before the courts accused of violently assaulting his newborn son on multiple occasions, causing dozens of fractures, bruising, and a brain bleed. The man first appeared at Wollongong Local Court in January 2025, and the case remains ongoing.
Other Notable Court Outcomes
In a unique ruling, the Supreme Court found that Aaron Lord was not criminally responsible for the murder of homeless man Raymond McCormack in a Wollongong railway station carpark in May 2024. Justice Deborah Sweeney entered a special verdict under mental health legislation after a special hearing in November, finding Lord committed the act but was not criminally responsible. He was referred to the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
In a bizarre incident, Warilla woman Saffron Ward pleaded guilty to charges including common assault and failing to stop after an injury-causing impact, after hitting her sister with a car during a fight over a can of creaming soda. She avoided a conviction but was unsuccessful in having the matter dealt with under mental health legislation.
Finally, a TikTok creator with over 21,000 followers, Kyle Richardson, was arrested in Kiama in January and later pleaded guilty to assaulting and intimidating his pregnant girlfriend. He was sentenced to 13 months in jail, with a non-parole period of six months.
As 2025 drew to a close, these cases painted a complex picture of crime and justice in the Illawarra, leaving a lasting impact on victims, families, and the wider community, with several matters set to continue into the new year.
