Christmas is usually a time of warmth, family, and celebration—a time when loved ones come together to share meals, exchange gifts, and make memories. But for the Wake family in Tasmania, the holiday of 2021 would be anything but ordinary. Tensions that had been simmering for years between Darren and his former wife, Rachel, came to a devastating head. What should have been a day of joy and togetherness instead became a day of fear, anger, and unimaginable loss—a Christmas that would leave scars on everyone involved, especially their children.

Darren and Rachel Wake married in 2001. They separated ten years later, in 2011, and divorced in 2012. In the years that followed, their relationship remained difficult, particularly around parenting arrangements for their son, Gabriel, who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

In 2016, the Family Court made formal parenting orders, establishing a shared custody arrangement—one week with each parent. Over time, that arrangement shifted, as the children grew older and began to exercise their own judgment about where they wished to live.

In mid-2019, when Romany turned seventeen, she chose to live with her mother full-time. Between 2020 and 2021, Gabriel lived with Darren full-time for approximately twelve months. This arrangement occurred at Darren’s insistence.

In April 2021, Gabriel decided he wanted to return to living with his mother full-time. He told others his decision was driven by Darren’s behaviour—behaviour he experienced as angry, aggressive, and emotionally manipulative. Gabriel became frightened of his father, and he later said that Rachel had also expressed fear of Darren. Those fears would prove to be well-founded.