First man jailed for coercive control released days after reoffending

The first man jailed for coercive control has been convicted of harassing a second woman while on parole, and released within days of his new conviction.

His former partners said the justice system had failed, and Callum Fairleigh’s release presented a risk to the community.

Fairleigh, 34, became the first person in NSW to serve prison time for coercive control after abusing his previous partner Samantha following the introduction of legislation in 2024.

In that relationship, he would regularly belittle, insult and humiliate Samantha and attempted to isolate her from her friends and family.

In February, he was convicted of coercive control, stalking and six AVO breaches and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Fairleigh was released on parole in April after serving 15 months, and issued a 10-year apprehended violence (AVO) order protecting her.

Within weeks of his release, he harassed another ex-partner. He was charged with stalking, intimidating, and using a carriage service to menace and harass her after calling her more than three dozen times in a single day.

The stalking charge was dropped in a plea deal on Friday. Fairleigh received a community corrections order and a new AVO prohibiting contact, before being released on parole again on Tuesday.

The victim told this masthead she felt justice hadn’t been done. “How did this even happen?” she said.

The pair met on a dating app and went out several times in late 2024, before he was taken into custody for abusing Samantha. While he was released on house arrest, the pair resumed their relationship until his conviction in February 2026.

The victim, who requested anonymity, agreed to help Fairleigh restart his life after his April 14 release by renting him a serviced apartment, though she made it clear the relationship was over.

‘This shows why so many people don’t bother reporting things... It is a flawed system.’

Samantha

“He wouldn’t accept that,” she said.

She said Fairleigh bombarded her with manipulative calls. When she later tried to return his belongings, he allegedly forced his way into her car.

On April 23, Fairleigh called her threatening suicide. Police responded to reports of a man standing over the gap at South Head in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Fairleigh was taken to the hospital, where he listed the victim as his next of kin and called her, or had staff call her, 39 times in 30 minutes.

After his arrest, the victim found the rented apartment damaged, with a smashed TV, broken glasses, and the intercom ripped from the wall.

On Friday, Fairleigh pleaded guilty to the carriage service charge. Defence lawyer Ben Wilcox argued the offending stemmed from mental health issues requiring treatment, noting Fairleigh had also been placed in protective custody after his original crimes became public.

However, the prosecution said he had a clear pattern of abuse against vulnerable victims and a history of breaching bail and AVOs.

The court heard he had been exposed to domestic violence as a child and had been diagnosed with depression.

Noting that he had been in custody since April, Judge Susan McIntyre sentenced him to a 12-month community corrections order. She stressed he was not “getting any messages” about his own behaviour.

“How many opportunities does he want to understand that this type of violence and control directed at an intimate partner is completely unacceptable and indeed, highly illegal,” McIntyre said.

Appearing in court wearing prison greens, Fairleigh yawned during the proceedings and smiled as the judge made her ruling. He was released from prison on Tuesday on parole relating to his previous offences involving Samantha.

The victim said she was “disappointed” with the result and said the conviction didn’t represent the scale of alleged abuse, including alleged calls from prison, property damage, and constant harassment.

“He refused to take no for an answer when I told him I was no longer interested in having a relationship of any kind with him. It was met with a bombardment of different kinds of manipulation tactics,” she said.

His previous partner, Samantha, said she was “mad, angry and confused” that he was released despite reoffending so quickly.

She said it was frustrating that police could do their jobs, only to be let down by judges.

“This shows why so many people don’t bother reporting things,” she said.

“It is a flawed system.”

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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