The grieving family of a beloved Melbourne doctor stabbed to death by an armed teenager have expressed their devastation after the killer was sentenced to 17 years in prison, with parole eligibility in just over a decade.
A Life Sentence for a Grieving Family
Ashley Gordon, a respected GP, was fatally stabbed in the early hours of January 13, 2024, after confronting a teen who had broken into his Doncaster home. The now 18-year-old offender was sentenced on Tuesday in the Victorian Supreme Court by Justice Amanda Fox.
With time already served, the teenager will be eligible to apply for parole after serving 12 years of his 17-year sentence. The announcement prompted gasps and tears from Dr Gordon's family and friends, who packed the courtroom.
As the convicted teen was led away, Ashley's father, Glen Gordon, looked directly at him and called him "a dog." Speaking outside the court, Glen said the true life sentence had been handed to his family. "My son's been murdered," he said. "In 12 years, (the killer's) still walking around the streets."
'You Just Want to Throttle Them'
Dr Gordon's sister, Natalie Gordon, told Sunrise on Wednesday the family was "disappointed" but had been prepared for a lighter sentence. "I guess if you look at it that way we probably got better than what we were expecting," she conceded.
Natalie described the immense pressure of sitting in court near her brother's killer. "There is so much pressure put on us to act in a certain way and none on them," she said. "You just want to sort of get up and throttle them really, don't you, but you just have to hold it together."
She vowed to remain strong for her parents, stating the loss was "unimaginable for them."
The Fatal Early Morning Confrontation
The court heard the teenage offender and a friend broke into Ashley Gordon's home around 4am, stealing items including shoes, headphones, laptops, and jewellery. They returned to a nearby house party before coming back to the property, intending to steal the Mercedes-Benz parked in the garage.
Dr Gordon caught them during the second break-in attempt. He chased the teens onto the street and followed them in his car, confronting them in a nearby street. As he tried to restrain the then-16-year-old and told him police were coming, the boy pulled out a knife and stabbed Ashley six times, leaving him to die on the ground.
Natalie Gordon said no sentence could ever bring true closure or seem fair. "Even Ashley's serving a life sentence, we're serving a life sentence, but (the killer) will have the opportunity to come out and create a family and buy a home and get a job and it's just frustrating," she said.
