24-Year-Old Woman Who Set Her Friend on Fire During a Friendly Party Receives a Prison Sentence

A 24-year-old woman from Howlong, NSW, has been sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for setting her longtime friend, Jake Loader, on fire during a night of heavy drinking in January 2024.

Corbie Jean Walpole poured petrol over Loader after a heated argument at her home, then ignited him with a lighter. Loader, 23 at the time, suffered third-degree burns to 55% of his body and endured over two months in hospital, including 10 surgeries and time in a coma. “The horrific scarring… will be a lifelong reminder of this horrific event,” he said.

Walpole later texted his girlfriend, expressing deep regret: “It was a mistake and I wish I could go back in time.” In court, she admitted she wasn’t thinking clearly and had been using drugs and alcohol heavily since 2022.

@dailymail
A woman who doused a ‘lifelong friend’ in gas and set him alight had been angered by a sexist comment, a court has heard. Corbie Jean Walpole, 24, previously pleaded guilty to a single count of burning or maiming by corrosive fluid. The young woman hosted the victim, Jake Loader, at her home in Howlong, on January 7, 2024. They and other friends had been partying through the night and returned to the Howpole’s place at about 5am to continue drinking. Much of the group was heavily intoxicated, and Walpole had also consumed c*caine. She said Mr Loader had been ‘antagonistic’ during the night, at one point attempting to wrestle her. She said her rage peaked when Mr Loader told her to ‘stay in the kitchen making scones’ where she belonged, instead of going out drinking with boys. Read more at DailyMail.com. #news #australia #friends #crime
♬ Mistério – Dih

Judge Jennifer English called the attack “unprovoked and particularly violent.” Despite Walpole’s remorse and diagnosis of PTSD, the court emphasized her actions were extreme and unjustified. Loader’s supporters applauded the verdict. Walpole will be eligible for parole in 2029.