- Jed 'Chode' Gordon pleaded guilty to having sex with a child
- He is the brother of Parkway Drive's drummer Ben Gordon
- READ MORE: Parkway Drive regret over his cancer-stricken girlfriend
Australian metalcore stars Parkway Drive are facing fresh scrutiny after their lead singer Winston McCall released a raw, unscripted video admitting the band was aware their longtime merchandise manager had a reputation for being 'bad with people' yet continued to employ him around young fans for decades.
Jed 'Chode' Gordon, the brother of band drummer Ben Gordon, last week told Byron Bay Local Court he was guilty of sexual intercourse with a person between the ages of 14 and 16 years old.
The revelations have seen an outpouring of emotion from previous fans of the band, with many sharing stories about how 'bad' Jed actually was.
Police were told Gordon had texted the 15-year-old girl in 2002 when he was 21 years old and met her in a park, where they had sex.
On Tuesday, McCall hit Instagram to address the band's fans directly after a previous statement was widely panned for failing to name Jed while distancing members from his behaviour.
In the nearly eight-minute-long video, an emotional McCall glanced repeatedly at notes as he addressed the growing backlash over the band's initial response, which many fans labelled as cold and insufficient.
'We support the victim 100 per cent,' McCall said. 'She deserves justice. She deserves her space, she deserves her time, she deserves to be heard. Twenty years of trauma - I cannot imagine what that is like to bear.'
The singer repeatedly condemned Gordon's actions, declaring: 'This is f***ed. This is f***ed. And this is Jed's reckoning to answer for.'
Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon and his sicko brother Jed (right) in happier times
Ben Gordon (far right), Luke Kilpatrick, Jeff Ling, Winston McCall and Jia O'Connor of Parkway Drive
McCall acknowledged the band's own failings over the affair.
'We employed him for a long time, and we put him in a position where he had contact with a lot of people, and that's our moral responsibility to carry,' he said.
'We always have tried to see the best in people, and sometimes it means you're blind to the worst.
'Anyone that's had bad interactions with Jed while employed with us, we're so sorry. We knew he could be bad with people. And on just that level, there's no excuse for that. I'm going to apologise.
'But we did not know the extent of his behaviour. We did not know. We've been completely blindsided by this.'
The band claimed it only learned of Gordon's guilty plea through circulating screenshots and court documents online.
McCall said the band had emerged from a bleak hardcore scene in Byron Bay plagued by youth unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, and domestic violence which seeped into surf culture, sporting clubs, pubs and homes.
The band tried to create a 'sanctuary' for young people, he said, but McCall admitted power imbalances, consent issues and bullying had crept back in.
Parkway Drive lead singer Winston McCall hit Instagram after coming under fire from fans
Jed 'Chode' Gordon (pictured), the brother of band drummer Ben Gordon, has his image shared across social media after word of his guilty plea spread
Drummer Ben Gordon of Parkway Drive performing live on the Main Stage at Download Festival on June 16, 2013
'Women deserve to be safe. Women deserve to be heard. Women deserve to be seen, and women deserve to be respected,' he said.
The confession that the band knew Gordon could be 'bad with people' but failed to act has sparked intense debate online.
In 2009, the band appeared on ABC's Australian Story where they referred to 'Chode' - slang for penis - as the 'sixth member' of Parkway Drive.
In that documentary, the band is seen tormenting Gordon, who is described as 'the most f***ed up human ever to grace the planet'.
'He's just so gross. He went through this phase. He's put on heaps of weight. He's just fat, he's s*** and lazy,' one member said.
In another video filmed by Gordon himself during the 2010 Warped Tour, Gordon zoomed in on a young reporter's breasts before shamelessly making lewd remarks about his genitals.
Jed Gordon, aka Chode, as he appeared in the ABC doco about Parkway Drive
The band's initial statement came under heavy fire from fans
The band mercilessly grilled the young reporter: 'How many Warped Tour guys have you got with so far?'
Gordon admitted his sexual contact with the child went on through 2003 when Gordon’s brother, Ben, started Parkway Drive with his friends in Byron Bay. It stopped around the time the girl turned 16. By that time Gordon was 22.
In 2021, the woman attempted to reconnect with Gordon before going to police in 2023.
He was arrested in July 2025 and pleaded guilty on March 16 to the single count of sexual intercourse with an underage person.
He was released on bail and will face sentencing on May 19.
Daily Mail went to Parkway Drive's management for comment, but was referred to the Instagram video.
