What started as a casual after-party among friends turned into a horrifying act of violence when a young woman set her longtime friend on fire over a sexist remark.
“I was feeling overwhelmed by his presence and I didn't know what to do,” the woman said in court this month.
The lives of both Corbie Jean Walpole and Jake Loader changed forever after they spent an alcohol-fueled night with their friends in southern New South Wales, Australia.
Highlights
- A young woman set her childhood friend on fire over a sexist remark.
- The lives of both Corbie Jean Walpole and Jake Loader changed forever on an alcohol-fueled night.
- “He was pushing my buttons… it was my intention to scare him,” the accused woman said.
- Jake suffered serious burns, was in a coma for days, and needed 10 surgeries.
A young woman set her longtime friend on fire over a sexist remark
Image credits: corbie.walpole / Instagram
The two school pals were partying with their friends and celebrating someone’s 21st birthday on January 7, 2024, when the incident took place.
Corbie was hosting Jake at her home in Howlong, on the NSW southern border, when the party took place.
After staying out partying for much of the night, the friends returned to Corbie’s home at around 5 a.m. to continue the party.
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Corbie was under the influence of illicit substances while hanging out with the largely intoxicated group.
The charged woman revealed that tensions erupted between her and Jake over what she described as antagonistic behavior.
She said he tried to wrestle with her at one point and wake up her boyfriend while he was fast asleep.
Corbie Jean Walpole said her friend Jake Loader pushed her too far with one particular comment
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There was one particular comment that Corbie said pushed her too far.
She said he told her to stay in the kitchen where she belonged and make scones instead of drinking with the guys.
“[He] was antagonizing me. 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,” she said in court.
Image credits: Jake's Road to Recovery / gofundme
After the verbal tussle, Corbie left the table, headed to her garage and grabbed a five-liter container of fuel.
When she returned, she doused Jake in the fuel before brandishing a lighter in front of him.
“Go on, do it,” he quipped, possibly egging her on unintentionally.
Corbie set her childhood friend ablaze, causing more than 50% of his body to be burned.
The accused woman said the burn victim “was pushing [her] buttons”
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“He was pushing my buttons… it was my intention to scare him,” she said in court.
Jake spent the next eight days in a coma and another 74 days in Prince Alfred Hospital's burn unit in Melbourne.
He underwent 10 surgeries and was traumatized by the incident, according to his victim impact statement read in court earlier this month.
Corbie pleaded guilty to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid
Image credits: corbie.walpole / Instagram
“This attack did not only hurt me, it hurt everyone who cared about me,” Jake said in his statement.
The burn survivor said his life was turned upside down as he can no longer expose his skin to the sun.
Moreover, his sweat glands were burned off during the incident, which makes his body struggle with regulating his body temperature.
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Other aspects of Jake’s life were also impacted, as he lost his source of income. His family faced financial pressure as well from having to travel to be with him during his recovery, according to the statement.
Corbie pleaded guilty to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid last December.
“This attack did not only hurt me, it hurt everyone who cared about me,” Jake said
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When Corbie took the witness stand last week to address the harrowing events, she sobbed intensely and expressed remorse over her 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 in court.
The accused woman said she found it “very hard to believe” that Jake sustained injuries because of her actions.
Corbie sobbed in court and expressed regret over her violent actions
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“I would do anything to go back in time,” she said. “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.”
In Corbie’s defense, the court was told about how she struggled with addiction since 2022 because she was in an unhappy relationship at the time.
Attorney Peter Neil SC said his client was antagonized by Jake throughout the night.
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His relentless behavior “pushed her over the edge” and “she simply had completely lost it,” the lawyer said.
The legal representative said the alcohol and the illicit substances only worsened the situation.
On the other hand, prosecutor Max Pincott said Corbie had enough time to calm down and not resort to violence.
Max said no argument of provocation could warrant setting the victim on fire.
“You could have walked away from this, couldn't you,” he said in court, “but you didn't.”
Corbie is expected to appear in court later this month.
“If ya got friends like that, you don’t need enemies!” a social media user said
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Social media users had different reactions to the news, with one asking, “Why is she not locked up?”
“Lock her up!! She's psychotic,” read one comment, while another said, “I hope that the victim heals physically and mentally, what a nightmare.”
“How is it not attempted m*rder?” one asked.
“I guarantee if this was a male that did this to a female it would be a different story,” said another.
“She showed him how to cook,” one said, while another wrote, “Bet he won’t tell that joke again”
