‘Many times he had walked away, many times he had been brought to my door by police as they knew it was safest for him,’ she said.‘We sat outside his house not long ago and as a grown man he was scared to go inside, I had to wait up the street in case he called out for me and needed me to come back.‘He was no angel but he did not to my knowledge lay a hand on her.’Family and friends met for a drink on Sunday afternoon at the ‘last place Jari stood’ to celebrate his life. The grieving mother of a young dad killed when he was struck by a car in mysterious circumstances claims courts don’t take domestic violence against men seriously.
Jari Wise, 26, died after being struck by a car in Huonville, south of Hobart, just before 1.30am on Saturday as he was walking along Wilmot Road.
His girlfriend Melissa Oates, 34, who was driving the car, was arrested at the scene and charged with four breaches of a police family violence order.
Detectives are investigating the crash and have not come to a conclusion about why Mr Wise died, or laid any charges over his death.
Ms Oates was given bail on Sunday by the Hobart Magistrates Court, enraging Mr Wise’s mother Faith Tkalac.
She claimed if it he, as a man, who had breached the FVO he would still be in jail.
‘I don’t understand this, domestic violence against men is real… my son is never going to walk through my door again,’ she said.
‘My son most definitely wouldn’t be bailed [if the roles were reversed].’
Ms Tkalac claimed Mr Wise was fearful of his girlfriend, but kept going back to her – only to call her for help later.
Tasmanian police Detective Inspector Michael Smith said all aspects of the crash were under investigation.
‘The relationship between them will also be subject to scrutiny and will form part of the investigation, which will ultimately be before the coroner,’ he said.
‘Any causal factors [such as speed] we are not sure of yet so we can’t say what the contributing factors were. It’s too early in the investigation for that.
‘There will be toxicology results available in the medium to long term so we will be better informed then.’
Ms Oates will appear in court again at a later date.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
Headspace on 1800 650 890
ReachOut at au.reachout.com
Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) on 1800 008 774
If they can prove intent (shouldn’t be difficult) I hope she gets locked up forever.
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