On the morning of January 13 2024, Natalie Gordon’s life shattered when she received a distressed call from her father, Glen. He informed Natalie that her brother, Ash, was dead.
Ash, a 33-year-old doctor, was the victim of a suspected knife attack near his Melbourne home. He was killed following a confrontation with two teenagers who allegedly broke into his house.
“The last time I saw him was [a few weeks before] on Christmas Day. He spent time at my house with me, my partner and kids – they loved their ‘Uncle Ash’,” Natalie, from Morwell in country Victoria, tells New Idea.
“[When] Dad rang me, we immediately jumped in the car and drove to my brother’s house. I kept thinking the police had got it wrong … we’re everyday people and this is the kind of stuff you hear about on the news.
“All the way to Melbourne I was ringing Ash and telling him to answer his phone. Then we arrived in his street and there was police tape everywhere and the dread sank in.”

In the days and weeks following Ash’s death, his family were appalled to discover the age of his attackers. They were both 16 years old at the time, with one of them already on bail.
The teens, who cannot be named, have been charged with Ash’s murder, aggravated burglary and theft. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Natalie, 37, says her family are pleading with the Victorian Government to crack down on youth crime.
Last year, the family, along with the support of their local MP, Martin Cameron, launched a petition calling for harsher sentences and tougher bail laws for teens who commit violent crimes.
They also wanted police to be granted stronger stop and search powers to get knives off the street.

In November, the petition, which had nearly 10,000 signatures, was accepted into state parliament. As a result, the Bail Act has been adjusted to make it more difficult for repeat offenders to be granted bail.
A separate offence has also been created for committing a serious crime – including aggravated burglary, carjacking, murder and rape – while on bail.
“Young people who commit the kind of crime that took his life should be held responsible,” Natalie says.
“They know what they are doing and they know right from wrong.
And the people who make laws and the judges who hand out sentences and bail to these young people need to get their head out of the sand. They need to look around and see how these young people and their crimes are impacting ordinary, hardworking people.”

As the Gordon family await the trial, Ash’s legacy as a beloved son, brother and uncle, and a caring and compassionate local GP, burns bright.
“On Ash’s birthday [last year], we should have been having dinner with him – instead we visited him at the cemetery,” Natalie says.
“From when he was a little boy, my brother wanted to help people and to make them feel better. The day he was killed, our community lost a kind and wonderful human being.
“My brother deserves justice and I will use my voice to stand up for him.”