High profile young people in NSW who have landed in court
From models and business owners to rising sporting stars, these young people have fallen foul of the law in NSW. Here’s what happened when they fronted court.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From models to rising sports stars and growing business owners, plenty of well known young people across NSW have wound up before the courts for a range of crimes.
This list also includes young people who were convicted of high-profile crimes.
All ages are accurate at the time of sentencing.
Paris Ow-Yang
Sydney-based model and OnlyFans star Paris Ow-Yang, then 19, found herself in trouble with the law more than once – most recently for a violent “explosion” in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in November 2024.
Ow-Yang faced Waverley Local Court in December 2024, where she pleaded guilty to common assault, property damage and two counts of intimidation.
Police facts tendered to the court reveal the harrowing details of Ow-Yang’s rampage, during which she extracted two kitchen knives from a block and threatened self-harm.
The documents indicate Ow-Yang repeatedly punched a female victim and called her a “slut” before damaging a wardrobe, guitar, vase and other household items to the tune of $1500.
She did not remember the incident.
Her lawyer told the court she had a breakdown in her mental health but was since getting herself back on track.
At the time, Ow-Yang was subject to a community correction order after she was convicted of high range drink driving at more than four times the legal limit when she crashed her luxury car in Sydney’s east in late 2023.
She was sentenced to a 15-month conditional release order to be of good behaviour and abstain from alcohol.
She has not appealed her sentence.
Dani Mansour
Teenager Dani Mansour found himself on the wrong side of the law after he joined in on the violent Wakeley riots in 2024.
Mansour, then 19, was the first person arrested amid the chaos, which kicked off following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Christ the Good Shepherd church in April 2024.
Thousands of people flooded the streets around the Wakeley Church and were seen damaging cars and causing chaos.
Mansour pleaded guilty to riot and destroying or damaging property during a public disorder.
During an appearance at the Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, June 20, his lawyer told the court the most serious thing Mansour did was kick a police car, twice, but he did not act violent towards the police or anyone else.
He said there was no evidence of his clients actions being pre planned or that he was an instigator of the riots, and that he was simply in the “wrong place, at the wrong time”.
Mansour was sentenced in the Blacktown Local Court on August 23 to a two-year conditional release order, where he was ordered to write an apology letter to NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and to the Christ the Good Shepherd church.
He was also ordered to pay $723.50 in compensation to NSW Police.
He has not appealed his sentence.
Toby Sullivan
Junior Rabbitohs player Toby Sullivan, then 21, wound up in court after he recorded himself having sex with a woman without her permission.
Documents tendered to the Waverley Local Court stated Sullivan, who had met the 34-year-old woman on the dancefloor at the Coogee Pavilion on December 16, 2023 before they went to a nearby home in Bondi, had pulled his phone out and began recording while the woman’s head was turned away.
The documents stated when the victim realised Sullivan was recording, she grabbed his phone and deleted the videos.
“It’s just for the boys,” Sullivan said, adding he was “just a kid”.
He pleaded guilty to intentionally recording an intimate image without consent and was sentenced to an 18-month conditional release order at the Waverley Local Court on October 22.
He has not appealed his sentence.
Abigail Donne
Sydney dance teacher Abigail Donne, 21, came undone when a choice to drink-drive ended with a crash into a house on the Central Coast.
Wyong Local Court was told the Narraweena woman was on a weekend away with friends when she got behind the wheel to drive to Gosford to pick up someone she had never met after drinking.
Court documents state Donne passed police on Wallarah Rd at Gorokan and was spotted driving at speed with one headlight out.
The police then turned around and followed her as they watched her collide with a house.
She blew 0.150 – three times the limit.
Police facts say the car caused significant structural damage and cracks to the internal and external walls of the house.
Donne was sentenced to a community corrections order for 18 months for the drink-driving offence and disqualified her from driving for six months, with 24 months on an interlock device.
A condition of the order is that she perform 80 hours of community service work.
He took no action on the negligent driving charge after the court heard Donne had agreed to pay for the costly damage to the house.
She has not appealed her sentence.
Abbie Small
Central Coast hairdresser Abbie Small, then 23, ploughed her BMW into several parked cars, racking up nearly $40,000 in damage, while drink driving almost three times the limit.
The Killarney Vale woman faced Gosford Local Court on Thursday, December 9, where she pleaded guilty to a sole charge of mid-range drink driving.
Court documents stated the mother was driving a white BMW 116i south towards Terrigal on Ocean View Drive, Wamberal, near the intersection of Dover Rd on May 10, 2024, when she reached to scratch her foot and swerved, colliding with a parked car.
The parked car was then pushed into two other vehicles, while Small’s car rolled and came to a rest in the middle of the road.
She was the only one injured, with police claiming they heard her “screaming in pain” while paramedics worked on her.
She was taken to John Hunter Hospital, where she returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.141 – just under the 0.15 threshold for high-range drink driving.
Her solicitor told the court Small was drinking miniature wine bottles that night and only intended to drive a short distance.
He said Small was left uninsured as a result of the crash and had letters of demand from the insurance companies of the other cars she hit totalling about $40,000.
Small was disqualified from driving for three months and was placed on an interlock order for 12 months.
She has not appealed her sentence.
Amber Clavell
NSW Corrections Officer Amber Clavell wound up on the wrong side of the law after it was discovered she was having an illicit affair with an inmate.
Clavell, who was 25 at the time of sentence, pleaded guilty to unlawfully delivering or attempting to deliver anything to an inmate, drug supply and misconducting herself as a holder of public office after she had an inappropriate relationship with inmate Mark Kennedy at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre.
She had attempted to smuggle in 33g of meth for Kennedy upon his request and was later revealed to have exchanged intimate photos with him via Snapchat on a contraband phone.
Investigators were first alerted to Clavell, who was working in the prison’s Intensive Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program, when it was discovered she had accessed the secure NSW Correctives Services system outside work hours, as well as inmates’ phone calls using the Offender Telephone System.
She has since left working with Corrective Services NSW.
She was sentenced in the Penrith District Court to a two-year, three-month intensive corrections order, to be served in the community.
She has not appealed her sentence.
Jessica Elguindy
Prison officer Jessica Elguindy, 25 at the time of sentence, found herself in hot water after she had an illicit affair with an inmate while working at the Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre.
Elguindy was involved in a four-month long relationship with inmate Beau Jones while she was working at the prison, with court documents revealing she had confessed her love to Jones and sent nude photographs, plus pictures of sex toys, to his contraband phone.
She had also snuck in contraband for him and asked a third party to access restricted data to advance her position with him.
Elguindy pleaded guilty to engaging in an intimate relationship with an inmate, accessing restricted data and misconducting herself as a holder of public office.
She had earlier resigned from her role at Corrective Services NSW.
She previously attempted to have the charges dismissed on mental health grounds, but this was rejected by Magistrate George Breton.
She was sentenced to a 12 month intensive corrections order – a prison term to be served in the community.
She has not appealed her sentence.
Cody Bloxsome
A Nowra man who coerced an underage girl into filming “violent sex videos” during an online relationship was jailed for the disturbing offending.
Cody Bloxsome, 26 at the time of sentence, had a two-year online relationship with the girl, where he used multiple social media platforms to demand sexual content from her.
Sydney District Court was told during Bloxsome’s sentencing that he had emotionally manipulated the girl online, demanding she film herself having “violent sexual intercourse” with her boyfriend, who was also underage.
The court heard the victim’s mum found the messages on her daughter’s phone, before contacting Bloxsome to demand he cease contact.
Bloxsome claimed he “didn’t know” the girl’s age and that he “thought she was older”, before continuing messaging her with demands she keep specific content hidden so he did not get “caught by the police”.
He was later arrested and charged with five counts of using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material, two counts of fail to comply with reporting obligations and using carriage service to transmit child abuse material to himself.
He pleaded guilty to all charges in the Nowra Local Court, and faced Sydney District Court for sentence.
He was sentenced to eight and a half years imprisonment, to serve at least four years and two months.
With time already served he will be eligible for parole in May, 2028.
He has not appealed his sentence.
Four arrested after alleged violent home invasion in Sydney’s west
Two men and two teenage boys have been charged over an alleged violent home invasion in Sydney’s west where the group is accused of attacking a man and teenager. Read the latest.
Lawyers to get majority of Redland council’s $6.2m canal levy refund
After a bitter decade-long legal battle over unlawful waterfront levies, 1620 Redland ratepayers will receive compensation but lawyers will claim the majority of the $6.2 million payout.