Man, woman involved in vicious teen murder learn their fate

A man and woman who were instrumental in the vicious bashing and murder of a teenager in western Sydney have been jailed for decades.

A man and a woman who were involved in the savage beating and murder of a teenager inside a western Sydney house have been jailed for decades.

Jason Galleghan died after being lured to a Doonside home and viciously assaulted on August 4, 2021 in a crime which 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, Justice Robert Allan Hulme found the pair guilty of murder, finding they were a 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, before he was attacked by a group of adults and juveniles, 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”, Justice Hulme said in his sentencing remarks on Friday afternoon.

Jason Galleghan was bashed to death inside a Doonside house. Picture: Supplied.

Jason caught a train from Sydenham and when he arrived at the property, he was brought into a bedroom where he was assaulted by Sione - who was twice Jason’s age at the time - and five juveniles, while Dawson recorded the beating.

At the time of the assault, Sione was 32 and Dawson was 19, the court heard.

Most of the people in the house were affected by alcohol and drugs at the time, the court heard.

Justice Hulme said it was “clear” that the plan was for Jason to be brought to the home and bashed, referring to text messages.

The court heard that Sione punched and kicked Jason while interrogating him about the earphones.

Sione left after about three to five minutes, the court heard, however the assault continued, this time at the hands of several of the juveniles.

Justice Hulme said that Sione provided the “benchmark” for the young offenders, who continued the assault.

Kayla Dawson helped lure Jason to the house. Picture: Supplied/Facebook.

During the assault, Jason was stripped down to his underwear.

After the assault finished, Jason was left alone in the house and he was later taken to hospital, where he died two days later.

“Jason was left on the floor of the bedroom while everyone else left the house,” Justice Hulme said.

Justice Hulme described Dawson’s delay in calling an ambulance as “reprehensible” given he was “helpless” and unable to breath.

Videos of the assault were found on the phones of Dawson, as well as two of the juveniles.

While she did not take part in the beating, she was heard laughing and saying she was sending the recording to “Johnno”.

Richard Sione was jailed on Friday. Picture: Facebook.

During part of the recording, Jason was made to repeat comments about the “27” postcode gang and its rivals.

Dawson had argued that she was not guilty of murder due to her cognitive impairment, however Justice Hulme rejected that contention.

Sione was found guilty of murder because Justice Hulme found that he was a part of the joint criminal enterprise which led to Jason’s death because of his involvement in the beating.

Justice Hulme took into account a victim impact statement by Jason’s mother, Rachel, which was read to the court on Friday, noting her “grief, pain and loss”.

Ms Galleghan did not speak to the media as she exited the court on Friday.

Rachel Galleghan (left) was in court on Friday as two of her son’s killers were sentenced. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw.

The court heard that both Dawson and Sione had been threatened in jail due to the nature of their crimes.

The court heard that Dawson blamed herself for Jason’s death, saying that he would not have been killed if she had not told people that he had stolen her earphones.

Sione watched the sentencing via videolink from jail on Friday, sitting in a chair with his head pointed to the ground for most of the proceedings.

Both Dawson and Sione were facing up to life imprisonment in jail.

Sione was sentenced to 32 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 24 years, with his earliest release in October 2045.

Dawson was given a 20-year term, with a non-parole period of 13 years.

Tears welled in Dawson’s eyes as she was told she will not be eligible for release until 2034.

Four juveniles have previously been sentenced for their role in the fatal attack on Jason.

Two who pleaded guilty to murder were sentenced to 15 years and six months in jail, with a 10-year non-parole period.

Another, who also pleaded guilty to murder was jailed for 14 years and four months, and will be eligible for release on parole after serving nine years and four months.

A fourth juvenile, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was jailed for seven years and six months, with a non-parole period of four years and six months.

Originally published as Man, woman involved in vicious teen murder learn their fate