A Mother's Fight for Justice: The Story Behind Bailey's Law

"He was supposed to be safe. He was supposed to be supervised." – Caroline Micallef

Caroline Micallef is petitioning the NSW government to reform Intensive Correction Orders (ICOs) after her son Bailey Jones was stabbed to death by his cousin Dominic Saliba in December 2022.

At the time of the stabbing, Saliba was serving an ICO for armed robbery. ICOs are jail sentences served in the community with conditions such as home detention, electronic monitoring, curfews, and bans on alcohol or drugs.

A System That Failed

Micallef claims the conditions on Saliba's ICO were insufficiently enforced. She cites a gathering of up to 10 people at Saliba's home on the night of the killing, which she says violated home detention conditions. Police also found a modified, unauthorised firearm in the home.

Saliba was initially charged with murder but found guilty of manslaughter in a judge-only trial. He will be eligible for parole in July 2027.

Bailey's Law: Proposed Reforms

Micallef proposes stricter eligibility for violent offenders, including:

• Mandatory and random drug/alcohol testing
• Random home searches
• Social media monitoring
• Stronger court powers to review orders

Her petition has gathered over 13,000 signatures.

Official Responses

NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley stated the department will continue to look at ways to support victims, noting that NSW imposes stringent restrictions on ICO availability for violent offenders and has doubled maximum penalties for knife offences.

Corrective Services NSW said community safety is the top priority and acknowledged the family's grief.

The Night of the Tragedy

Bailey Jones, 18, was stabbed in the chest at Saliba's home in Bomaderry, NSW South Coast, in December 2022. Micallef states Jones intended to leave shortly before the incident and did not want to be at the gathering.