A judge has expressed frustration over his limited ability to impose a significant punishment on Kayla Dawson, who bit a prison officer while awaiting sentencing for the murder of 16-year-old Jason Galleghan. Dawson, now 23, instigated Galleghan’s killing in August 2021, mistakenly believing he had stolen her Apple AirPods.
In July 2024, Dawson was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the teenager’s death. Just two months prior, during a mental health crisis in her Silverwater prison cell, she tried to take her own life. When four officers intervened, attempting to remove harmful items from her cell, she reacted violently, growling and biting a senior correctional superintendent, causing injury.
At Burwood Local Court, Dawson received a nine-month sentence for the assault; however, due to existing legal restrictions and the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to escalate the case to the District Court, this sentence will run concurrently with her longer murder sentence. Judge Chris Halburd lamented, “This court can’t impose a meaningful decision or meaningful penalty on this defendant for a serious assault on a prison officer,” reflecting the limitations of current legislation.
Dawson appeared via audio-visual link in prison attire, previously sentenced for an earlier assault and an escape attempt before her murder conviction. The judge cautioned her that further offences could extend her time in prison beyond her initial release date. Her defence attorney argued that the incident occurred during an episode of agitation, attributing her actions to her diagnosed intellectual disabilities and ADHD.
The case of Jason Galleghan was heart-wrenching. He was brutally attacked by Richard Sione, 32, and a group of youths at Dawson’s home, left alone and severely injured, dying two days later. In a poignant statement during the sentencing hearing, Galleghan’s mother conveyed her overwhelming grief and urged the court to impose life sentences on both Dawson and Sione.
While Dawson received a non-parole period of 13 years due to her intellectual disabilities, she will be eligible for release on August 7, 2034. In contrast, Sione, as the primary instigator of the assault, received a harsher sentence—32 years with a non-parole period of 24 years.
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