The First Man Has Been Jailed Under NSW’s Coercive Control Laws

TRIGGER WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence involving physical, financial and emotional abuse. If you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, call 1800 737 732.

Following the passing of landmark legislation in 2022 that criminalised coercive control in New South Wales, a 34-year-old man has now become the first person sentenced to prison under the law.

Last week, Callum Fairleigh was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 15 months, after the court found he had engaged in extensive coercive and controlling behaviour towards his girlfriend.

His former partner, Samantha, bravely went to police after leaving their six-year relationship, reporting what she described as a sustained pattern of abuse.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Samantha recalled how Fairleigh’s behaviour escalated over time, leaving her feeling “like a prisoner” as she endured relentless manipulation and mood swings.

“You’re in such a confused state you think, maybe it’s my fault. I just felt like a horrible person all the time,” she said.

The pair dated on and off between 2018 and 2024. During that period, court documents detail how Fairleigh repeatedly belittled and insulted Samantha, while isolating her from family and friends. He was shown to have “bombarded” her with calls and text messages, demanding she cut ties with those closest to her.

“Cancel the plan … I won’t ask again. I’m not asking, I am telling you,” he wrote in one text message while she was out to dinner with a friend.

On another occasion, Fairleigh called her five times while Samantha was speaking with her sister, demanding she hang up before sending a series of messages: “Answer the phone”, “Do as you’re told” and “Be on my team, always.”

When Samantha ended the relationship for the fifth and final time in November 2024, she provided police with hundreds of similar abusive messages. Fairleigh was subsequently investigated for coercive control and served with an apprehended violence order (AVO).

Despite this, the harassment continued. Fairleigh used bank transactions to send messages and a secondary phone number to pose as a nurse, claiming he was in “critical condition” in a hospital ICU. Months later, in January 2025, he was arrested and charged with coercive control, alongside stalking and six breaches of the AVO. He continued to contact Samantha from jail through letters sent via his mother.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Coercive Control) Act 2022 was passed in November of that year, but did not come into effect until July 1, 2024. As a result, evidence of Fairleigh’s behaviour prior to that date could not be considered in the case.

Following the sentencing, Samantha said she felt “validated”.

“I felt a sense of relief. I still fight in my mind that I’m dramatic because he kept drilling into my head that what was happening wasn’t so bad,” she said.

“For him to actually get a jail sentence shows it was that bad.”