NEED TO KNOW
- After a night of drinking, Corbie Jean Walpole set her longtime friend Jake Loader on fire after he allegedly made a misogynistic comment to her
- Loader suffered third-degree burns to over half his body
- The Judge called Walpole’s crime “unprovoked and violent” and she was sentenced to 7-and-a-half years in prison
An Australian woman has been sentenced to 7-and-a-half years in prison for setting her friend on fire following a night of heavy partying — after he allegedly said a misogynistic comment to her.
Corbie Jean Walpole poured gasoline on Jake Loader, who was 23 at the time, and set him ablaze as they were drinking in her backyard on Jan. 7, 2024, according to Australia Broadcasting Corporation.
Walpole pleaded guilty to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid, the outlet reported.
On the day of the party, Walpole and Loader, who had been friends for nine years, had been drinking for 12 hours, ABC reported. Walpole consumed between 23 and 35 drinks and cocaine during the party.
The 24-year-old attacked Loader after he allegedly told her to “get back in the kitchen and not to drink with the boys,” the outlet reported. Loader sustained third-degree burns to 55% of his body and was in an induced coma for eight days.
In court, Loader’s friends heard him screaming and tried to put out the flames with a dog bed and then he was thrown into a pool, ABC reported. Walpole stood watching and said, “What the f— have I done?” and, “He told me to do it.”
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The judge overseeing the case described the act as unprovoked and particularly violent, fueled by drugs and heavy drinking, the outlet reported. “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,” Judge Jennifer English said.
In court, Walpole said she was remorseful and that she has given up drugs and alcohol, ABC reported. She will be eligible for parole in November 2029.
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