Protest in silence

THE family of Jari Wise stood silently beside a car emblazoned with #JUSTICE4JARI as Melissa Oates walked out of court on Monday.

Mr Wise died after he was struck by a car that police say Ms Oates was driving.

Ms Oates has not been charged with his death but is facing more than 100 other charges.

TENSE scenes have again unfolded outside the Hobart Magistrates Court, with Lucaston woman Melissa Oates once more facing the grieving family of her dead boyfriend.

Jari Wise, 26, died in the early hours of February 29 after he was struck by a car while walking along Wilmot Road at Huonville.

Police said the car was driven by Oates, 34.

She has not been charged with Mr Wise’s death.

But during a brief hearing on Monday, the court heard Oates, who is on bail, faces well in excess of 100 criminal charges.

The number has skyrocketed since she first faced court on March 1, when she faced four counts of breaching a family violence order.

Waiting outside court were Mr Wise’s loved ones, who stood beside a car emblazoned with #JUSTICE4JARI and watched on silently as Oates exited the building with a police escort.

No words were exchanged between the parties.

With Mr Wise’s death having shaken the Huon Valley community, animosity has been expressed during previous court hearings.

Oates is accused of 122 breaches of a family violence order, plus two counts of common assault and one count of injuring property.

On Monday, Oates’ lawyer told the court she had not received her court documents – which totalled more than 116 pages.

Magistrate Glenn Hay adjourned the matter until September 17, but directed that Oates must enter a plea on that date.

He continued her bail, directing that Oates continue residing at her Lucaston home while court proceedings unfold.

Previously, Mr Wise’s mother Faith Tkalac wept outside court when Oates was first granted bail.

She later posted on social media that she had “no feeling of resolve” after the court hearing and that her family had “expressed some anger” toward Oates.

Ms Tkalac recently posted a photo of Mr Wise’s godmother to Facebook, showing a huge tattoo of her godson’s face across her left shoulder and back.