Corrimal teen Blake Freebody sentenced for frightening threats, assaults

A young father who threatened to kill his former footy teammate‘s family – along with a string of other horrific offending – has learnt his fate.

Corrimal man Blake Freebody was sentenced for mutliple intimidation and assualt charges on Tuesday. Picture: Facebook

A Corrimal teenager has been spared jail after being sentenced for a string of shocking intimidation and assault charges.

Blake Freebody, 19, appeared via video link in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday five months after pleading guilty to nine charges including five counts of intimidation, being armed with the intent to commit an indictable offence, possessing a prohibited weapon, common assault and contravening an AVO.

The soon-to-be father of two, who has been in custody of remand since early November, 2022, was sentenced to a 10-month intensive correction order as well as multiple concurrent community correction orders – the longest being for 18 months.

Documents previously tendered to the court stated the first set of offences – two counts of intimidation – occurred one evening in October last year, outside the home of his long-term girlfriend.

Freebody left before police arrived, but they heard a knock on the door as they spoke to the woman.

Police answered the door and found Freebody, who lashed out and said, “I am not f--king leaving” before police told him to “go home” and shut the door.

The documents stated the other incident, which also happened in October, came when the woman went to Freebody’s mother’s place, where he also resides, to collect her debit card.

Corrimal man Blake Freebody grabbed the throat of an off-duty police officer. Picture: Facebook

The offender and the victim argued, with the kitchen knife-carrying Freebody calling the woman a “dumb s--t”.

An apprehended domestic violence order was put in place between Freebody and the woman. However, they were together when the offender launched a shocking attack on her friend in a Corrimal carpark on November 1.

The friend was getting money out of an ATM near Priceline in Corrimal shortly after 9am when he spotted Freebody driving his black Subaru Liberty.

He ran back to where his mother was parked, however, Freebody pulled up behind it, preventing her from driving away.

The court documents stated the mother started recording as Freebody jumped out of the car and said, “I‘m going to kill you and your whole family”.

Freebody punched the man in the face before an off-duty police officer intervened.

The victim escaped, but Freebody twisted his way out of the cop’s grip before pulling an expandable baton out of his car.

“What, what, what,” Freebody uttered before palming off his girlfriend, grabbing the officer by the throat, and pushing him away.

During the attack, the mother was on the phone with her other son, a former football teammate of Freebody, who heard what the court documents described as “commotion” on the other end of the call.

The son heard his brother say he had blood coming out of his nose.

He called Freebody about why he was harassing his family, with the thug responding, “That‘s alright I’ll just go to your missus house next c--t”.

“You don’t even know where she lives,” the man said.

“Money talks buddy, money talks,” Freebody said.

Blake Freebody was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court.

The court documents stated the mother received a phone call from a private number with a male voice saying, “I am going to come and burn your house down. I know what kind of car you own … I’m going to come and bash the f--k out of your eight-year-old son”.

In court on Tuesday, where Freebody was supported by his mother and his partner, Magistrate Mark Douglass lamented the impact Freebody would have had on his victims.

“Victims don't forget,” the magistrate said.

“These offences would have a lasting impact on victims who may struggle to sleep at night thinking it Blake Freebody about to turn up.”

Mr Douglass said Freebody should have learnt from the “short, sharp shock” of five months in prison, adding a full-time custodial sentence ”might exacerbate” his behaviour.

“I made the decision on the basis sparing you may lead to a better outcome not only for you, but the community,” Mr Douglass concluded.