24-Year-Old Australian Woman Allegedly Set Friend on Fire Over Misogynistic Comment

A 24-year-old woman from Australia has been accused of setting her longtime friend on fire after he made a misogynistic comment during a night of partying earlier this month.

Corbie Jean Walpole, the woman in question, pleaded guilty to the arson attack on 23-year-old Jake Loader. According to reports, she felt “overwhelmed” by Loader's antagonistic behavior throughout the night, but it was a particularly sexist remark that pushed her over the edge. The incident took place during a house party in New South Wales last year, as detailed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Loader reportedly told Walpole that if she couldn’t handle drinking with the boys, she should “stay in the kitchen making scones.” This comment ignited a rage in Walpole, leading her to grab a gallon of gasoline from the garage and douse Loader with it. She then waved a lighter at him, threateningly.

“Go on, do it,” Loader allegedly taunted her, while he was intoxicated and had also consumed cocaine, as Walpole later confessed. In a moment of impulsive anger, she touched the lighter to him, igniting the gasoline and setting him ablaze.

The aftermath was devastating. Loader suffered burns covering 55% of his body, and some of his sweat glands were burned off. He was placed in a medically induced coma for eight days following the attack, as detailed in a victim impact statement presented in court.

Loader underwent a staggering ten operations and spent 74 days in a burn unit at a hospital in Melbourne. The injuries he sustained were so severe that he can no longer step outside into the sun due to extensive epidermal damage.

Walpole, during her court appearance, expressed deep regret for her actions, revealing that she had been struggling with drug and alcohol abuse since a breakup in 2022. She claimed that Loader's behavior throughout the night, including attempts to wrestle with her, contributed to her explosive reaction.

“To this day, I feel horrible, remorseful, guilty for what I have done to Jake, not only to Jake but to his family, his loved ones, and our mutual friends,” Walpole stated in court. She added, “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.”

Walpole has pleaded guilty to one charge of burning or maiming by using corrosive fluid. She is scheduled to return to court this month for sentencing, and the community is left grappling with the shocking consequences of a night that spiraled out of control.