Latest news with #CorbieJeanWalpole
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
The petrol fire attack highlights a major double standard
OPINION A woman was sentenced on Thursday to seven-and-a-half years prison for setting her friend alight after a night of partying in Howlong, a town in southern New South Wales. The decision handed down yesterday triggered a strong reaction in me, but not in the way you might expect. In the early hours of January 2024, Corbie Jean Walpole, 25, poured petrol and set her friend, Jake Loader, on fire, after he made a sexist remark about how Walpole should go to the kitchen and make scones instead of drinking with the boys, the court was told. In the moments beforehand, Mr Loader is said to have goaded her, telling her to, 'Go on, do it,' which she did. His friends heard his screams and tried to extinguish the flames using a dog bed, before throwing him into a pool, according to the ABC. Despite their efforts, he suffered third-degree burns to over half his body. He has since been diagnosed with PTSD and is unable to expose his skin to sunlight. After reporting on Walpole's sentencing yesterday, I noticed a recurring theme in the public's reaction online. They were using this opportunity – the rare occurrence of a female inflicting violence against a man – to bring awareness to another issue … the way that violence against women is often minimised and justified by society. And to be honest, I completely get where the frustration comes from. How many times have you read a news article or a comment section that tries to excuse male violence? If you flip the script and use these same excuses for a case of woman-inflicted violence, such as this, it can really highlight just how absurd they sound. For example, could you imagine anyone suggesting this man was 'asking for it' by wearing something flammable, or asking why he didn't say 'no' more forcefully? You'd never see a headline that questioned whether or not he consented to this, or whether he changed his mind halfway through. Because of course, these are all utterly ridiculous questions to ask in the face of such a horrifying crime. People also love to use the 'bright future' defence, where offenders will appeal for leniency based on their youth or their athletic or academic achievements. This happened during the 2016 Brock Turner trial in the US, where former Stanford University swimmer Turner was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, Chanel Miller, outside of a fraternity party. His legal team, and supporters online, tried to gain sympathy for him by drawing on his career as a promising athlete. Could you imagine someone saying, 'Walpole's future is ruined because of one man', or 'She's too young to understand what she did'? Don't forget about good character references, which are often used to tell a court that a convicted rapist is in fact, a decent human being. Do you remember the 2024 trial where a group of three men in Newcastle were found guilty of gang-raping teenagers during a bucks party? The victims provided harrowing evidence of what was perpetrated against them in their victim impact statements. Yet the convicted rapists were allowed to provide the court with 20 good character references that spoke to the men's caring nature and their respect for women. What about when high profile referees submitted good character references for Luke Lazarus, when he was found guilty, and later acquitted of the 2013 rape of 18-year-old Saxon Mullins behind a Kings Cross nightclub? It would feel highly irrelevant, given Walpole's crimes, to hear comments like, 'I know her personally and she'd never do something like that' or, 'She's such a nice girl, she wouldn't hurt a fly'. The point is, if men feel uncomfortable with women jokingly asking things like, 'Was he asking for it?' – it's because they know deep down how irrelevant they are. It's time that a mirror be held up and the double standard exposed. These lines of questioning need to stop, against any victim, regardless of gender.
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- News.com.au
Woman doused friend in petrol, set him alight after sexist remark
A woman who doused a 'lifelong friend' in petrol and set him alight after being angered by his misogynistic comments has just been sentenced to seven-and-a-half-years in prison. Corbie Jean Walpole, 25, pleaded guilty in December to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid and had hoped to receive a non-custodial sentence. However, she was told she would spend a minimum four-and-a-half-years behind bars after a judge denied her plea for mercy, according to ABC. Judge Jennifer English said she rejected the claim that Walpole was 'provoked' when she attacked her friend, Jake Loader, on a night out in January last year. 'It is never easy to send a young person, particularly a young woman, to jail,' Judge English told the NSW District Court in Albury, shortly before 10am on Thursday. 'But where appropriate, it is something that must be done.' She described the act as violence which was fuelled by alcohol and drugs. 'This is a tragic case in so many ways for the victim and his family, and the offender and her family: two young lives destroyed,' she said. As the decision was handed down, supporters of Mr Loader cheered, while Walpole, who works as an electrician, mouthed to her distressed family, 'It'll be okay, it'll be okay'. On January 7, 2024, Walpole hosted her friend of at least nine years, Mr Loader, who was 23 at the time, at her home in Howlong, in southern New South Wales. They had been out partying with friends before they returned to her backyard at around 5am to continue drinking. The majority of the group was heavily intoxicated, and Walpole had taken cocaine. She said that Mr Loader was being antagonistic towards her throughout the night and even tried to wrestle her at one point. On another occasion, he tried to wake up her boyfriend, who was asleep. 'I was feeling overwhelmed by (Mr Loader's) presence and I didn't know what to do,' she said in court, according to ABC. The court heard her anger peaked when Mr Loader suggested that she stay in the kitchen making scones, where she belonged, instead of drinking with the boys. She then left the table and headed to her garage, where she picked up a five-litre container of petrol. She returned to the group and poured it on Mr Loader before waving her lighter at him. He then teased her and goaded her to, 'Go on, do it,' before Walpole set him alight, the court heard. 'Completely lost it' Walpole abusing drugs and alcohol from late 2022, the court heard. According to her lawyer, Peter Neil SC, Mr Loader consistently antagonised Walpole throughout the evening, which ultimately 'pushed her over the edge'. 'She simply had completely lost it,' he said, adding that the incident was made worse by her drug and alcohol abuse. Crown prosecutor Max Pincott pointed out that Walpole had plenty of time to calm down and could have walked away from the situation, but didn't. He also said that Walpole's actions were so far beyond a reasonable response that there was no argument that she was provoked to act in that way. 'Horrible, remorseful, guilty' While crying on the witness stand, Walpole said she was shocked by her own actions. 'To this day I feel horrible, remorseful, guilty for what I have done to Jake, not only Jake but his family, his loved ones, his mutual friends … anyone who has been impacted in this entire case,' she said. 'I find it very hard to believe the injuries that were caused (were) from my doing. 'I would do anything to go back in time. No one deserves what happened to Jake and I can't imagine the pain — both physically and emotionally — that I've caused him and his family.' Burns to 55 per cent of his body Mr Loader didn't attend court but sent a victim impact statement that was read aloud that explained how his life had been turned upside down by the violent crime. He suffered burns covering 55 per cent of his body, spent eight days in an induced coma, and was hospitalised for 74 days in the burns unit at Melbourne's Prince Alfred Hospital, undergoing 10 surgeries and skin grafts. Mr Loader is now unable to expose his skin to sunlight and has difficulty regulating his temperature as his sweat glands were burnt off. He also lost his income, which added financial pressure on his family, who travelled to support him and pay for medical costs. A GoFundMe was set up to raise funds for his recovery and has since collected $47,456. 'This attack did not only hurt me, it hurt everyone who cared about me,' he said in his statement.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- ABC News
Woman sentenced for setting friend on fire during night of partying
A southern NSW woman has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail for setting her friend on fire during a night of heavy partying. Howlong woman, Corbie Jean Walpole, poured petrol on Jake Loader and then set him alight while they were drinking in her backyard in January last year. Mr Loader, who was 23 at the time of the attack, sustained third-degree burns to 55 per cent of his body, and was in an induced coma for eight days. The Albury District Court earlier heard Walpole, who worked as an electrician, carried out the attack after he told her to get back into the kitchen and not to drink with boys. Walpole, 24, earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid. Supporters of Jake Loader cheered in court as the sentence was handed down. Judge Jennifer English described the act as violence fuelled by drugs and heavy drinking. Walpole and Mr Loader, who had been friends for nine years, had been drinking for about 12 hours and into the morning of January 7 last year. The court heard Walpole had consumed potentially between 23 to 35 standard drinks, as well as cocaine, and they returned to her backyard to continue drinking. The court heard Walpole and Mr Loader had been antagonising each other throughout the night, and she committed the crime after he made "misogynist comments". The court heard that Mr Loader's friends who were at the Howlong home heard him screaming and tried to extinguish the flames, that had begun melting his shirt, with a dog bed. He was then thrown into a pool. Walpole, who has since been diagnosed with PTSD, stood by watching , saying "what the f*** have I done", and "he told me to do it". "I find that the assault upon the victim was unprovoked and particularly violent," Judge English said. Judge English also said that she found it difficult to accept that Walpole's depression at the time resulted in her decision-making. The court heard that Walpole was remorseful, showed good rehabilitation prospects, and had given up drugs and alcohol. Walpole remained composed during sentencing as her family sobbed, and will be eligible for parole in November, 2029.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Just five words made Corbie douse her mate in petrol and set him ablaze. Now she's beamed with joy on her last day of freedom before facing years in jail for the horror attack in Albury
A woman who doused her childhood friend in petrol and set him on fire after he made what she deemed as misogynistic comments will learn if she is going to jail on Thursday. Corbie Jean Walpole spent what could be her last day of freedom on Wednesday by catching up with loved ones and frolicking in a park with two dogs. The 25-year-old bought coffee and food for herself, a young man and an older man before the trio gathered at Alexandra Park in East Albury on the NSW-Victoria border. Prosecutors want Walpole sent to prison for setting Jake Loader ablaze as he sat on a chair in her backyard at Howlong, about 30km west of Albury, early last year. Mr Loader, who lives in outback Queensland, was in Howlong to join old friends including Walpole for a night on the drink, which included celebrating a 21st birthday. Walpole claimed Mr Loader had been baiting her before she poured five litres of petrol over his head and used a cigarette lighter to turn him into a human torch. 'He was antagonising me,' she previously told the NSW District Court, sitting in Albury. 'He told me to go to the kitchen where I belong because I'm a girl. I gave it back to him and called him a misogynist.' The pair met when Mr Loader attended boarding school at St Paul's College at Walla Walla, about 40km north of Albury. They had been friends for at least nine years. Walpole appeared distressed earlier this month when prosecutors called for her to be jailed over the attack, which left Mr Loader with burns to more than 60 per cent of his body. She faces up to 25 years behind bars but her lawyers have asked for an intensive corrections order which would not require her to spend any time in custody. On Wednesday, Walpole ate a roll and sipped from a takeaway coffee as she sat on a bench in the sun with her two companions before getting up to play with one of the dogs. Walpole smiled and chatted as the group did three laps of a walking track during the 45-minute outing, but appeared more sombre at one point while on the phone. Mr Loader and Walpole were both 23 when they began drinking with mates about 8pm on January 6, 2024 at Howlong Golf Resort. Two hours later, they went to a 21st birthday party and then kicked on to another knees-up at North Albury, before settling into the backyard of Walpole's home about 4am. Some of the revellers, including Walpole, had taken cocaine earlier in the night and most had retired to the Russell Street house, where Walpole's partner was sleeping, within an hour. Walpole bought coffee and food for herself, a young man and an older man before the trio gathered at Alexandra Park in East Albury on the NSW-Victoria border Walpole claimed that Mr Loader had been antagonising her throughout the night, trying to wrestle her and wake her sleeping boyfriend. 'He was really pushing my buttons,' she told the District Court. 'I was feeling overwhelmed by [Mr Loader's] presence and I didn't know what to do.' Walpole snapped when Mr Loader said she should be in the kitchen baking scones, rather than out drinking with boys. She got up from an outdoor table and went to her garage where she collected a five litre jerry can of fuel, went back to the table, poured the petrol over the seated Mr Loader and waved a cigarette lighter around. 'I'll do it,' Walpole said. 'I'll do it.' Mr Loader replied: 'Go on, do it.' Walpole carried out the threat and Mr Loader was immediately engulfed in flames. Mr Loader, who lives in the Queensland Outback, was in Howlong to join old friends including Walpole for a night on the drink last January. Walpole (left) is pictured on Wednesday buying coffee Mr Loader, who ran around the yard screaming, tried to pull off his shirt but the melted fabric stuck to his skin. Two male friends extinguished the fire by plunging Mr Loader into a small pool. Walpole held her head in her hands and said: 'What the f*** have I done? He was telling me to do it.' She left the scene of her crime just as neighbours first heard Mr Loader's screams and was later arrested while driving on the Riverina Highway from Howlong to Albury. Mr Loader was in such a shocked state that he initially refused to go to hospital, not understanding the extent of his injuries. He remained in the pool for half an hour before being driven to the home of an emergency ward nurse who was the mother of one of the partygoers. She placed Mr Loader under a cold shower until the arrival of paramedics. Mr Loader was rushed to Albury Hospital before he was airlifted to The Alfred in Melbourne, where he spent eight days in a coma, 74 days in the burns unit, and underwent 10 operations. He had suffered second degree burns to 55 per cent of his body and less severe injuries to an additional six per cent. Those injuries were spread across his back, chest, arms, legs and face. On the same day she had set Mr Loader on fire, Walpole sent a text to his girlfriend Annabelle McGee about 3pm. Walpole smiled and chatted as the group did three laps of a walking track during the 45-minute outing, but appeared more sombre at one point while on the phone (pictured) The text began, 'Hey', and continued: 'I wanted to let Jake know I'm really sorry for everything that's happened.' 'I made a really stupid decision and I own that. It was a mistake and I wish I could go back in time. I hope he is OK. I am really sorry.' Mr Loader was not OK and is still not OK, as he outlined in a victim impact statement. He can no longer expose his skin to the sun and his body struggles to regulate its temperature because his sweat glands were burnt off. 'It will affect the rest of my life,' Mr Loader said in a statement read by Crown prosecutor Max Pincott earlier this month. 'The horrific scarring to the majority of my body will be a lifelong reminder of this horrific event.' Walpole pleaded guilty in December to one count of burn, maim, disfigure or disable a person by use of a corrosive fluid and has been on bail for the past 16 months. At a pre-sentence hearing, Walpole broke down in the witness box as she unsuccessfully attempted to explain what she had done. 'I wasn't thinking,' she repeatedly said when asked about her actions. 'I didn't want to injure Jake. Mr Pincott: 'Well, why did you set him alight?' Walpole: 'I don't know why I did.' The court heard Walpole, who pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily after a scuffle with a pub bouncer in 2021, had been abusing drugs and alcohol from late 2022. She had been in a failing relationship, which left her feeling trapped and depressed early last year but admitted that was no excuse for setting fire to Mr Loader. 'Jake didn't deserve what happened,' she said. 'To this day I feel horrible, remorseful, guilty for what I have done to Jake, not only Jake but his family, his loved ones, his mutual friends… anyone who has been impacted in this entire case. 'I find it very hard to believe the injuries that were caused was from my doing. I would do anything to go back in time. 'No one deserves what happened to Jake and I can't imagine the pain - both physically and emotionally - that I've caused him and his family.' Mr Pincott said Walpole had no defence of provocation as her actions were so out of proportion to anything Mr Loader had said or done. 'You could have walked away from this, couldn't you?' he said. 'But you didn't.'
The Sun
21-05-2025
- The Sun
Woman, 24, douses friend in fuel & lights him on FIRE after he made sexist jibe at party
AN AUSTRALIAN woman has pleaded guilty to setting her friend on fire, telling the court she felt 'overwhelmed by his presence' after he was antagonistic and made a misogynistic comment. Corbie Jean Walpole, 24, and Jake Loader, 23, were at a house party when the arson attack took place - leaving over half of Loader's body burnt, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. 4 4 4 Loader sustained burns to 55 percent of his body in the attack in January last year, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Walpole claimed in court that Loader was being antagonistic towards her at the party in New South Wales, trying to wrestle her the entire night. He at one point told her that she should "stay in the kitchen making scones" where she belonged, if she could not handle drinking with the boys, ABC reported. Walpole, who admitted in court to being drunk and high on cocaine, left the table where they were drinking and retrieved a five-litre container of petrol from her garage. She then poured it on Loader and reportedly waved her lighter around in the air. Loader said: "Go on, do it." Walpole then touched him with the lighter, setting him on fire, according to the testimony. After the arson attack, he was placed in a medically induced coma for eight days, his victim impact statement revealed. It said he underwent 10 operations and had to spend 74 days in a burn unit at Melbourne hospital. Some of his sweat glands were even burned off, leaving his body unable to regulate temperature. Girl, 13, charged with murder and arson after mum-of-three dies in house fire As a result of the extensive epidermal damage he endured, he can no longer spend time in the sun, it added. "This attack did not only hurt me, it hurt everyone who cared about me," his statement read. He did not attend court. It was revealed in court that most of the group was heavily intoxicated and that Walpole had consumed cocaine. She said: "I was feeling overwhelmed by [Mr Loader's] presence and I didn't know what to do." She also revealed that she had been abusing drugs and alcohol since a breakup in 2022. Walpole said: "To this day I feel horrible, remorseful, guilty for what I have done to Jake, not only Jake but his family, his loved ones, his mutual friends… Anyone who has been impacted in this entire case. She added: "I would do anything to go back in time. "No one deserves what happened to Jake and I can't imagine the pain - both physically and emotionally - that I've caused him and his family." Walpole is due back in court this month for sentencing. It comes as a woman was set on fire while asleep on a New York subway in December last year. Debrina Kawam was homeless and sleeping on a subway car when she was attacked, police said. The attacker, identified as Sebastian Zapeta, sat on a bench and watched his victim burn to death after the attack at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in January. If convicted of the charges, Zapeta faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
