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A welfare worker from Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been accused of unleashing a domestic violence rampage against a woman, including sending an intimate image to an accommodation company, writing defamatory emails to her work contacts and stalking her outside her house.
Police hold “extreme fears” for the safety of the complainant, to whom Jason Robert Cornish, 52, allegedly sent a barrage of threatening texts.
Jason Robert Cornish allegedly sent a barrage of threatening texts.Credit: Artwork: Aresna Villanueva
The accusations follow warnings from police that technology-facilitated domestic violence surged last year and that the New Year’s period is particularly dangerous for domestic violence (DV) victims.
Despite Cornish having breached a DV order with repeated illegal contact – including sending the woman 50 photos within two hours – he was granted bail in December.
The complainant, who wrote a three-page letter detailing her safety concerns to the court, told police she felt afraid at home and of what Cornish was capable.
Cornish, a Maroubra support worker, had known the woman since 2020. According to a police fact sheet, the pair were engaging in sexual activity at the woman’s home in late 2023 when Cornish took a photo of her blindfolded without her knowledge.
The documents allege Cornish slapped the woman across the face in April 2025. This caused them to cease communication, until they later became amicable and shared occasional contact.
On June 22 last year Cornish allegedly went to the woman’s home uninvited, where he repeatedly rang the doorbell, called her and texted her. Feeling afraid, the woman cried as she watched him from her security camera within her house. She later saw him sit in his car outside her house for 20 minutes, the documents allege.
Throughout the night Cornish sent the complainant apologetic messages, and when she didn’t respond he allegedly wrote: “tomorrow the fun starts, hit them [with] what they care about the most. Your business”.
The next day the woman sent him “an extensive and clear message to stop his behaviours” but he allegedly texted her ex-husband a message that “commented on [her] in a negative light”, texted the woman “you ain’t seen nothing yet” and sent emails to “large companies that the victim’s company works alongside, defaming her as a person and the reputation of her business”.
He then allegedly emailed an accommodation company at which the pair had earlier planned to stay for a since-cancelled holiday, attaching the intimate photo that he took of her in late 2023 without her consent.
On the night of June 23 last year, as the woman was at Mascot Police Station to report Cornish, he allegedly messaged her: “you deserve everything that is coming your way in life”.
“As a result of the concerning incidents outlined above, police hold extreme fears for the safety of the victim,” the police fact sheet reads.
Cornish was arrested on June 25 and taken to Mascot Police Station, where he declined a police interview but allegedly told officers he sent the intimate image “accidentally”. He was released on bail, and police were granted an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) against Cornish the next day.
Just eight days later Cornish breached the ADVO. He emailed, called and texted the woman, sending her more than 50 photos of herself within two hours. He was again arrested on July 8.
Cornish pleaded guilty to the breach but was then arrested for a separate breach, to which he also pleaded guilty. He denies the June charges – being intimidation, recording an image without consent and distributing an image without consent – and will face a local court hearing in May.
Cornish had his bail revoked in August for the most recent breach. But, after spending three months in custody on remand, he was granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court in December. His lawyer argued that parts of the complainant’s evidence were “inconsistent with evidence available to the defence”, that Cornish was unlikely to be sent to full-time prison if convicted, and that he had community support.
The Crown opposed bail, citing risks of Cornish committing serious offences and endangering the victim.
He was granted bail with conditions including reporting daily to police, complying with a curfew and not contacting the complainant or anyone associated with her work.
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Much of Cornish’s accusations centred on alleged technology-facilitated domestic abuse. These types of crimes have surged in recent months, police earlier warned, as perpetrators become more creative with how they use technology to prey on victims.
Police say they’ve seen examples of doorbell cameras being used to survey victims, toys containing covert cameras gifted to children, and AirTags hidden in car doors to track movement.
“It’s that power that they can exert on someone whilst they’re not even in their physical presence,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna earlier told this masthead.
“It’s keeping people in fear, not knowing when this person might still come. It’s keeping, at the forefront of their mind, the power base they have over them”.
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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