The grieving family of Melbourne doctor Ash Gordon has spoken of their bittersweet relief after the teenager who stabbed him to death was found guilty of murder.

A Supreme Court jury convicted the 17-year-old boy following a harrowing trial in which the youth had already pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary.

Dr Gordon was killed in the early hours of January 13 last year after waking to find intruders in his Doncaster unit, in Melbourne’s north-east. He chased the two 16-year-olds into the street, but was fatally stabbed less than a kilometre from his home.

The brutal and senseless loss of the much-loved doctor sent shockwaves through his community – and left his family shattered.

Speaking to A Current Affair, Ash’s sister Nat said the guilty verdict brought some measure of justice after what she described as a long, “gut-wrenching” legal process.

“To get a guilty verdict was a huge relief for the family,” she said. “It will never bring him back but it cements for us that we have everyone behind us.”

Their father, Glen Gordon, described the emotional toll the trial had taken – and the quiet moment of comfort that came with the jury’s decision.

“It’s been a struggle, but after the verdict today, it just felt like a big weight has been lifted off our shoulders,” he said. “It’s still a sad situation, but at least the person got what he deserved.”

Since Ash’s death, the family has channelled their grief into a push for reform – advocating for tougher bail laws and stronger sentencing for youth offenders.

 

“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, nothing will ever bring him back, but a small win was had today – not only by us but the wider community and the justice system,” Nat said.

Determined not to let her brother’s death be in vain, she issued a heartfelt plea for change. “At the end of the day, if there is no verdict and no consequences, they will continue to do this,” she said. “It won’t be just my family – it will be every family within the country feeling the pain that we’re feeling, and I never, ever want to inflict that pain on any other family.”

“I don’t want my brother’s memory to be in vain.”

Images: A Current Affair