Details of Jari death edge closer
GRIEVING Huon Valley mother Faith Tkalac is inching closer to finding out about the series of events that led to her son’s death.
On Tuesday, she appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania and was told the Attorney-General would not oppose – nor consent to – her request for an inquest into the death of her son, Jari Wise.
Solicitor Paul Turner SC said Attorney-General Elise Archer would provide to the court all the materials that were before Coroner Simon Cooper before he made his decision not to look further into the case.
Mr Cooper last month advised Ms Tkalac that an inquest was “not necessary or desirable in the interests of justice” and was “unlikely to reveal any additional, significant information about the death”.
Ms Tkalac is now fighting that decision in the Supreme Court, which has the power to overturn his determination and order an inquest.
Ms Archer has intervened in the case, with Mr Cooper not taking part in proceedings.
It now appears the matter is likely to proceed to a court hearing for determination.
Mr Wise, 29, died at Huonville in February last year when he was struck by a car driven by his on-again, offagain partner Melissa Oates.
Oates was not charged with causing his death, but she is serving an eightmonth jail sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, drink driving and failing to stop and assist in an accident.
She was later convicted in the Hobart Magistrates Court of two more crimes against Mr Wise – common assault and injuring property. Ms Tkalac says the cause of her son’s death has not yet been determined in court and has questioned the police investigation.
The inquest fight will return to court on October 26.
Meanwhile, Ms Tkalac continues to wage a campaign in support of male victims of domestic violence and men going through the justice system.
She is now working with Hobart City Mission, with hopes of establishing a staffed property in Hobart where fathers without homes can spend a night or two with their children.