Former Parkway Drive Associate Avoids Jail Time Following Guilty Plea

Parkway Drive

This article mentions sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. If you or someone you know is affected by these experiences and needs to contact someone, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

Jed Daniel Gordon, a former associate of Byron Bay metal icons Parkway Drive, has been spared jail time after pleading guilty to a historical child sex offence.

45-year-old Gordon, who is the brother of Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon and who has previously been described as the band’s “ex-merch guy”, initially appeared in Byron Bay Local Court in March where he plead guilty to having sexual intercourse with a minor.

The incident in question is reported to have occurred between November 1st, 2002, and July 11th, 2003. At the time of the incident, Gordon was in his early 20s, while the victim was aged 15.

As the ABC reports, the maximum penalty for such an offence in NSW is “10 years in prison, or 12 years in circumstances of aggravation,” though a sentencing hearing at the Byron Bay Local Court today instead resulted in Gordon being given a three-year community corrections order and 300 hours of community service.

Gordon was also given a two-year apprehended domestic violence order and placed onto the child protection register.

As the publication reports, the victim was present via an audio-visual link as Judge Geoffrey Dunlevy handed down the sentence, stating that Gordon had demonstrated "significant insight" for remorse, which was taken into account during the decision.

According to statement of agreed facts, Gordon and the victim met "several times" in Byron Bay to engage in sexual intercourse, with Gordon instigating their meetings via text message.

In a victim impact statement, the victim stated that the “sexual and emotional abuse that he subjected me to” has resulted in a hindrance in her ability to “navigate romantic, platonic, family and professional relationships,” adding that she has experienced “re-victimisation in emotionally abusive relationships, domestic violence or sexual harassment, assault and rape multiple times.”

Upon Gordon’s guilty plea in March, Parkway Drive issued two statements, initially noting that his behaviour was “appalling and we condemn it,” and explaining that while Gordon’s actions “happened before we were a band,” they still “bear moral responsibility for contracting him from 2003, on and off over the years.”

“This is fucked, and this is Jed's reckoning to answer for,” vocalist Winston McCall later said in a video statement shared on social media. “It's his reckoning, and he will answer for it.

“We employed him for a long time, and we put him in a position where he had contact with a lot of people, and it's our moral responsibility to carry. That's our moral responsibility to carry. We see it, we see it, and we hold it.”