The abuse Samantha endured started slowly. Her then-partner Callum Fairleigh would monitor her location, questioning her movements. He would snap, becoming verbally abusive and hurling vile insults. He hid her keys, disputed her credit card charges and attempted to isolate her from friends and family.
Court records described Fairleigh as having an “utter disregard” for bail conditions and the AVO. Police argued he presented an “unreasonable risk” to Samantha and other women, noting he was still active on the dating app Bumble.
Before his 2025 arrest, he had been subject to AVOs protecting Samantha and charged with twice breaching this AVO, and twice assaulting Samantha and damaging her property, though these charges were dismissed. He previously pleaded guilty to one assault charge and two financial deception charges relating to other victims.
Samantha is undergoing trauma counselling, which she says has helped to “rewire” her brain and view the abuse for what it really was.
NSW Police recorded 386 coercive control incidents between July 2024 and September 2025, resulting in 18 charges. The first person convicted of the offence in December 2024 was issued an Intensive Corrections Order.
Fairleigh’s sentence is the first to result in jail time. With time served, he will be released on parole in April.
Two-thirds of coercive control incidents were accompanied by another offence, including stalking, domestic assault or malicious damage. The most common controlling behaviour was harassment, monitoring or tracking.
In 97 per cent of intimate partner domestic violence homicide cases, the victim had experienced coercive and controlling behaviours before being killed.