Romany Wake tormented by ‘relentless’ letters sent from jail by mother’s killer

Despite explicitly requesting that she receive no contact from her imprisoned father, Romany Wake has been receiving “relentless” letters from the man who murdered her mother three years ago.

Romany Wake, 22, whose late mother Rachel Wake was murdered by Darren Mark Wake. Picture: Supplied

When Romany Wake’s late mother Rachel was murdered by her ex-husband three years ago, the 22-year-old experienced unimaginable trauma – and now she is forced to relive the experience over and over again as her father sends her “relentless” letters from prison.

Rachel Wake was slain by Darren Mark Wake in Hobart on Christmas Day in 2021. The killer was sentenced to 26 years behind bars for the murder.

Despite Romany asking the Tasmania Prison Service to ensure her father couldn’t reach her by phone, mail, or other forms of communication, he has still managed to make contact.

Romany Wake, daughter of Rachel Wake, who was murdered by her ex-husband on Christmas Day, 2021. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

She has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal, calling for greater oversight of prisoners’ communications, especially when victims of sexual and family violence are concerned.

“It was relentless and the worst thing in the world. Every time I got a letter, I got a massive sense of dread,” Romany said.

“Every time I got a new letter, even after we asked for communications to please stop and [for the prison] to check everything, it was just heartbreaking that more and more letters would come through.”

Romany said some of the messages she received from her father were intimidating and threatening and that she was forced to take out a restraining order against him.

But even after she had done this, he still managed to contact her using aliases or third parties.

“One of the big changes I want is to make sure that when someone consents to not be on someone’s phone list or contact list from the prison, it’s a benchmark for everything. So the prison takes your full name, your contact details, and your address, and they make sure that nothing goes to those areas,” she said.

Darren Mark Wake has contacted his daughter, Romany, from prison, even though she requested that the Tasmanian Prison Service prevent him from doing so. Picture: Chris Kidd

Romany has raised the issue via the social media platform, Rachel’s Voice, which she founded in memory of her mother and to share her story and support others impacted by family violence.

The Department of Justice has contacted Romany to discuss her experience but she said she had been unable to respond yet due to work commitments.

A department spokesman said the Tasmanian Prison Service (TPS) had arrangements in place to prevent mail from being sent to people who have requested that they not receive letters from particular prisoners.

“The TPS is currently investigating how Ms Wake has been contacted and has put in place additional measures to ensure this does not occur again,” he said.