CONTENT WARNING: the following article discusses allegations of sexual assault, sex with a minor and more
Australian heavyweights Parkway Drive have shared a new public statement reflecting on the culture surrounding their hometown in the early 2000s, following the sentencing of former associate Jed Daniel Gordon over a historical child sex offence.
Gordon – the brother of Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon and previously described as the band’s former merchandise manager and jokingly as their “sixth member” – was last week sentenced in Byron Bay after pleading guilty earlier this year to sexual intercourse with a person aged between 14 and 16.
“It’s heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
The offence occurred between November 2002 and July 2003. At the time, Gordon was in his early 20’s and the victim was 15.
He was sentenced to a community corrections order, issued a two-year apprehended domestic violence order and placed on the child protection register.
Now, an explosive ABC investigation has landed featuring an included an interview with the victim, who chose to publicly identify herself as Rachel Kila and spoke about what she described as a broader culture of “rape, humiliation and shame” in Byron Bay at the time.
“The facts are that he was an adult, and I was still a child,” Kila told the publication.
The ABC report also explored accounts from 35 people who described experiences of victimisation and referenced what interviewees described as a broader culture of degradation affecting young women and girls in the region during that period.
“Fifteen women have alleged to the ABC they were raped or sexually assaulted by older boys or adult men when they were as young as 12”, the report reads. “…Some of the women described being sprayed with urine, faeces and semen, and being spied on during sex, part of a culture of public degradation they said was pervasive in the popular tourist resort town.”
As one of the interviewees put it: “We were prey”.
In response, Parkway Drive did not expand further on Gordon directly, but reflected more broadly on the environment they say existed during their formative years.
“Behaviours like power imbalances, consent issues, bullying were everywhere: in homes and in the streets, and girls and women did bear the brunt of it,” the band told the ABC. “It’s heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
The report also referenced historical recordings created by Parkway Drive bassist Jia O’Connor before his time in the band that contained derogatory lyrics about teenage girls and references glorifying sexual violence.
O’Connor addressed the material in a statement provided to the ABC, saying the songs were written by “insecure teenagers” attempting to imitate the shock value of popular hip-hop artists without understanding the impact of what they were doing.
“In fact, many songs were never meant to be published, but some of the worst songs were leaked and ended up hurting people,” he said. “While it was a toxic culture for boys, it was so much worse for girls, and I am deeply sorry for contributing to that.”
Following Gordon’s guilty plea in March, Parkway Drive publicly condemned his conduct and acknowledged what they described as a moral responsibility tied to employing him over the years.
At the time, vocalist Winston McCall said: “This is fucked, and this is Jed’s reckoning to answer for.”
“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.”
Parkway Drive themselves have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to the case.
If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.
For help or information regarding mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
Further Reading
Former Parkway Drive Merch Manager Avoids Jail After Pleading Guilty To Child Sex Offence
Parkway Drive Issue Statement After Former Associate Pleads Guilty To Underage Sex Offence
