When the teens entered the home for a third time – with the offender holding a folded hunting knife – Gordon woke up and disturbed them. The group fled the house and ran down the street, along a creek path and through a retirement village.

Gordon’s housemate, who had also now woken, called police while Gordon got in his Mercedes to search for the teens and his belongings.

When three of the teens were found nearby, they ran into the driveway of a home surrounded by a high wooden fence. Two managed to jump and flee while the offender did not have time.

“There’s no point running, the police are on their way,” Gordon said.

Dixon said a physical altercation occurred and Gordon was stabbed multiple times, including fatally to his chest.

He died on the roadway near where his car was parked with one of the other teens returning to kick him in the head.

Gordon died on the road near to where the car was parked.

The offender told his friends when they regrouped nearby that he “just killed a guy”, showing his friends the knife. They later returned to the house party, the offender with blood on his pants, telling others something “super serious” had occurred.

The knife has never been found.

Dixon said the teens later burned their clothes while filming themselves laughing.

They then came up with an “unrealistic” plan to drive to the Gold Coast and charter a plane to Papua New Guinea.

The 16-year-old was arrested and charged on January 17, 2024.

During the trial, the court heard the teen claimed he was acting in self-defence, which the jury rejected when it returned a guilty verdict for murder.

“Dr Gordon wasn’t intending to hurt you when he got out of the car. He intended to hold you some way until the police arrived.” Dixon said.

“You knew Dr Gordon was the victim of your aggravated burglary … you knew he had a lawful right to make a citizen arrest.

“This was a brutal attack with a weapon on a barefoot and unarmed man who was only there at all because you had broken into his house.”

Dixon said victim impact statements from Gordon’s family painted a harrowing picture of his sudden and senseless death.

She said he was a kind, hardworking, cheerful, intelligent and compassionate man who had just started up his own medical practice at the age of 33.

“His death has plunged his family into a world filled with overwhelming pain. The trauma is never-ending,” Dixon said.

The judge said the killer was now aged 18 whose mother is a lawyer in the public services and his father an electrical contractor.

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He aspired to be a professional basketball player before he says racist taunts gradually exposed him to crime and violence, prompting him to begin carrying a knife.

She described the teen as having no real insight into his offending and not showing signs of remorse, instead maintaining his innocence.

“Members of the public are entitled to live in homes and go about their lives in peace and safety,” the judge said.
“If young people choose to carry knives and commit violent offences, they should expect to face lengthy terms of imprisonment.”

The killer was sentenced to 17 years jail with a non-parole period of 12 years.

With time already served, he will be eligible for release in 2036.