In January 2025, he was arrested and charged with coercive control, along with stalking and six AVO breaches. From jail, he continued to contact Samantha, writing letters and sending them to his mother to pass on.
Court records described Fairleigh 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.
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 homicides cases, the victim had experienced coercive and controlling behaviours before being killed.