Jari Wise was murdered by his partner on February 29, 2020. The Tasmanian police did not investigate or charge his partner for his murder. It’s been over 2 years. For detailed information about the story see the #Justice4Jari website here and my interview with Jari’s mother Faith here.
This series of posts looks at similar cases in Australia where someone has been hit and killed in a hit and run. The aim is to see how the police typically respond along with the courts, community, media and Government. This should expose the gender and race bias and the sheer incompetence of the Tasmanian authorities in their management of Jari’s case.
Here is a case to compare with Jari’s:

Victim/s:
Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13
Perpetrator/s:
Samuel William Davidson
Relationship of P & V:
Random hit & run.
Location:
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Circumstances:
The 29-year-old ploughed into them after his ute mounted a kerb at Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest on February 1, 2020.
On the day of the crash, he had spent more than 12 hours drinking, and he was three times over the legal limit when he hit the children.
He also had cocaine and other drugs in his system.
Davidson had a blood alcohol reading of 0.182 at the scene of the crash before returning a second reading of 0.15 at Castle Hill police station. A blood test suggested he had taken MDMA during the day.
Police Response:
Arrested on site and placed on remand. Charged with 4 counts of manslaughter and several other charges related to the incident.
Consequences:
The professional truck driver pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter and to charges related to the injuries caused to three other children.
Mr Davidson was jailed in April 2021 for 28 years with a non-parole period of 21 years.
In a majority decision, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal concluded the term was manifestly excessive.
Davidson was resentenced to a term of 20 years with a non-parole period of 15 years.
Community Response:
A makeshift shrine at the site was created the next day, where family members of the children attended to pray.
The Abdallah family has been fighting for a memorial for their children to be created at the perimeter of the Oatlands Golf Club, near where the children were killed.
But the club has been pushing ahead with plans to develop the land after it rejected several designs for the commemorative garden.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison stepped in late last year to say he was “very distressed” by the club’s failure to help the children’s families.
Government Response:
Nil.
Comparison to Jari’s Case:
Davidson’s apology letter was read in court in which he promised to not touch alcohol or drugs in the future, and proclaimed he never wanted to drive a car again. “It breaks my heart that I have hurt this beautiful family and I am responsible for this horrible accident,” he wrote. “Waking up every day knowing I am responsible for all this … is the worst punishment and will never go away. “I would do anything to relive that day and be sober and never leave the house.”
This is a particularly awful case because the one incident took 4 young innocent lives. Mr Davidson was highly intoxicated on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol and was speeding around like an idiot. To call it “just an accident” is not enough. As the judge pointed out, a tragic end to this behaviour was inevitable.
In comparison to Jari’s case, once again, we see a horrible double standard. Davidson’s charges, after appeal, have been reduced to 15 years. Davidson sounds genuinely remorseful and was clearly not intentional. He did not want to kill the children. Conversely, in Jari’s case, his murderer Melissa had attempted to run him down and kill him several times before she eventually succeeded in murdering him. Every case points to the horrible failure of the Tasmanian police and other leadership.
Articles/Sources: