Overview

• On January 7, 2024, Walpole doused 22-year-old friend Jake Loader with petrol at a Howlong party and set him on fire after he made a misogynistic comment.
• Loader sustained severe burns covering over 55% of his body, endured an eight-day coma, spent 74 days in a burns unit and faces lifelong physical and emotional challenges.
• Justice Jennifer English sentenced Walpole on May 22, 2025, to 7½ years in prison with a 4½-year non-parole period after rejecting her provocation defence.
• If the non-parole period stands, Walpole will not be eligible for release until November 21, 2029.
• Court documents indicate Walpole had consumed 23 to 35 standard drinks and used cocaine in the 12 hours before the attack.