Darren Mark Wake pleads guilty to murder of midwife Rachel Wake

UPDATE: A Hobart man charged with the stabbing murder of a Tasmanian midwife on Christmas Day has changed his plea, two years after the killing. What will happen next>

Rachel Wake. Picture: Facebook

A Hobart man charged with the Christmas Day murder of a Tasmanian midwife has changed his plea to guilty, almost two years after the shocking crime.

Darren Mark Wake, 61, appeared in the docks of the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Monday afternoon, entering the guilty plea after he stabbed former wife Rachel Anne Wake to death on December 25, 2021.

Hobart man Darren Mark Wake has pleaded guilty to the stabbing murder of Rachel Wake, 52, on Christmas Day 2021.

Wake was arraigned in court with the words that he “murdered Rachel Anne Wake by stabbing her multiple times with a knife”.

He responded: “I’m guilty, Your Honour”.

Director of Public Prosecutions Daryl Coates SC told Justice Helen Wood that the Crown had a number of victim impact statements to prepare, and that some of the Crown facts were in dispute.

Mr Coates said unless some of those matters resolved in the meantime, the parties would need a full day early next year for a disputed facts hearing.

Justice Wood remanded Wake in custody, to return to court on February 9 next year for a court mention, ahead of an anticipated full-day hearing on February 15.

A number of Ms Wake’s loved ones attended Monday’s hearing to hear Wake’s long-awaited guilty plea.

Outside court, they declined to speak to journalists at this stage, but said they were pleased the case was finally coming to an end.

Loved ones of late midwife Rachel Wake outside the Supreme Court of Tasmania. Darren Mark Wake has now pleaded guilty to her stabbing murder on Christmas Day 2021. Picture: Amber Wilson

Ms Wake, 52, died in the Royal Hobart Hospital later the same day after she was allegedly attacked in front of her two teenage children at her home on Binalong Road, Mornington.

Her death led to an outpouring of grief, with numerous women paying tribute to Ms Wake, who had helped them as a nurse and midwife.

Wake has been expected to plead guilty to Ms Wake’s death for some time – following repeated adjournments in the Hobart Magistrates Court before the case was committed to the Supreme Court.

Wake did not enter a plea at all until 10 months after the murder, when he pleaded not guilty in October 2022 and flagged his intentions to take the case to trial.

The loved ones of murdered midwife Rachel Wake leaving the Supreme Court of Tasmania after a guilty plea by Darren Mark Wake. Picture: Amber Wilson

Wake was represented in court on Monday by criminal defence lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi.

According to her funeral notice, Ms Wake was farewelled with a service on January 7 last year, with family and friends invited to attend and dress in “bright colours” as “Rachel was so full of colour”.

In lieu of flowers, donations were welcomed to be made to the Hobart Women’s Shelter.

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