A man and woman involved in the savage beating and murder of a teenager inside a home in Sydney’s west have been jailed for decades.
Jason Galleghan died after being lured to a Doonside home and brutally assaulted on August 4, 2021 in a crime that shocked Sydney.
Kayla Dawson and Richard Sione faced a judge-alone trial in the NSW Supreme Court earlier this year after pleading not guilty to murdering the 16-year-old.
However, Judge Robert Allan Hulme found the pair guilty of murder, finding they were part of a joint criminal enterprise in which Jason was beaten and left for dead.
He was lured to a home in Doonside, in Sydney’s west, on August 4, 2021 before being attacked by a group of adults and youths, the court heard.
At the time, Dawson, a mother of one, had accused Jason of stealing a pair of AirPods, and he was lured to the house as “retribution,” Judge Hulme said in his sentencing remarks Friday afternoon.
Jason took a train from Sydenham and when he arrived at the property, he was taken to a bedroom where he was assaulted by Sione and several other boys, while Dawson recorded the beating.
Most of the people in the house were under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time, the court heard.
Jason Galleghan (pictured) died after being lured to a Doonside home and brutally assaulted on August 4, 2021 in a crime that shocked Sydney.
Judge Hulme said it was “clear” the plan was for Jason to be taken to the house and beaten, referring to the text messages.
The court heard Sione punched and kicked Jason while questioning him about the headphones.
Sione left after about three to five minutes, the court heard, but the assault continued, this time at the hands of several of the boys.
During the assault, Jason was stripped down to his underwear.
After the robbery ended, Jason was left alone in the house and was later taken to the hospital, where he died two days later.
“Jason was left on the bedroom floor while everyone else left the house,” Judge Hulme said.
Judge Hulme described Dawson’s delay in calling an ambulance as “reprehensible” given he was “helpless” and unable to breathe.
Videos of the assault were found on Dawson’s phones, as well as those of two of the minors.
Although she did not participate in the beating, she was heard laughing and saying she was sending the recording to ‘Johnno’.
During part of the recording, Jason was asked to repeat comments about the ’27’ postcode gang and their rivals.
Dawson had argued that he was not guilty of murder because of his cognitive impairment, but Judge Hulme rejected that claim.
Judge Hulme took into account a victim impact statement made by Jason’s mother (pictured) which was read out in court on Friday, highlighting her “grief, sorrow and loss”.
Sione was found guilty of murder because Judge Hulme found he was part of a joint criminal enterprise that led to Jason’s death as he was involved in the beating.
Judge Hulme took into account a victim impact statement made by Jason’s mother Rachel, which was read out in court on Friday, outlining her “grief, sorrow and loss”.
The court heard that both had been threatened in prison because of the nature of their crime.
The court heard Dawson blamed herself for Jason’s death, saying he would not have been killed if she had not told people he had stolen her headphones.
Sione watched the sentencing proceedings via video link from jail on Friday, sitting in a chair with his head pointed at the floor.
Both Dawson and Sione faced life in prison.
Sione was sentenced to 32 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 24 years.
Dawson was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 13 years.
