The distraught parents of a Melbourne doctor who was allegedly stabbed to death have revealed the harrowing way they found out he’d died and share a brutal message for the Victorian Government, which is looking at softening youth crime bail laws.
Dr Ash Gordon, 33, died in the early hours of January 13 after his Sargent St home, in the east Melbourne suburb of Doncaster was allegedly broken into.
He chased the alleged intruders out of his house and followed them by car to Elidon St, about 500m away, where he is alleged to have been fatally stabbed.
Two 16-year-old boys have been charged with the doctor’s murder – one of whom was on bail after he allegedly broke into another home armed with a machete just months before.
Dr Gordon’s mum Catherine told A Current Affair ‘There needs to be a change (to bail laws),’ while his dad Glen said he was ‘sick and tired of all these politicians (who) never do a damn thing’.
Dr Ash Gordon (pictured) died in the early hours of January 13 after his Sargent St home, in the east Melbourne suburb of Doncaster was broken into
The teenager who was on bail at the time, is accused of leaving another man with serious head injuries after allegedly robbing his house in October.
They pleaded with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan to reconsider the state’s planned youth justice reform which would see the age of criminal responsibility raised.
Mr and Mrs Gordon initially did not believe it when their son’s flatmate phoned them to break the tragic news that he had died.
‘He said that Ashley had gone. And I said gone where? “He’s gone. He’s no longer with us”,’ Catherine said.
‘I said, “Don’t lie, you’re joking.” And I hung up on him.
‘Then the detective rang. And I told him that I didn’t believe him… So then I hung up on him.
‘We saw the police car coming up, and I just prayed to God they’d just keep going.
‘I didn’t want them to turn into the driveway. But unfortunately, it happened. It did,’ she said, through tears.
When she learned the alleged killers were both aged 16, Ms Gordon’s reaction was ‘Where were the parents and what were they doing roaming the streets at five o’clock in the morning?’
Her husband added that the ‘Victorian government is a disgrace. They should get out of office if that’s their way of thinking.’
When told that Victoria’s Attorney General Jaclyn Symes had said she did not want a discussion about a youth crime crisis that doesn’t exist, Glen replied ‘What planet are they on?
‘They’re certainly not on ours if it’s not a crisis. That’s a cowardly response from them. That’s all I can say.’
Dr Gordon’s sisters Natalie, Kerry, Tammy and brother Brad are still struggling to come to terms with the shocking death of their beloved sibling.
Dr Ash Gordon’s sisters Natalie, Kerry, Tammy and brother Brad are pictured at their parents’ home
Catherine and Glen Gordon (pictured) have spoken out after their son Dr Ash Gordon was stabbed to death
‘He was just the sweetest little brother ever,’ Tammy said.
‘And whoever did this they need to they need to pay the justice system has gone so soft on crime and it needs to change.’
‘I don’t think it’s sunk in for me yet. I’m just angry every day,’ Brad said.
‘Something’s got to change. (The) justice system needs to be fixed,’ Natalie said.
