Jacqui tried to call police. There was no reception. Hours later, she was dead.

Family of a mother of four who was hit by a car and left to die by her cold-blooded partner have vowed to fight for tougher laws against domestic violence.

Jacqui Purton, 37, was trying to leave a property in rural Tasmania on a night in March 2023 when she was struck by a white Holden Commodore driven by James Kenneth Austin.

The 40-year-old, who was initially charged with murder, was sentenced on Thursday to 13 years' jail after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. He will be eligible for parole after serving eight years.

Jacqui was walking down the property's 500m gravel driveway after an argument with Austin, who drove after her.

She was struck by the car, which was travelling at 20-30km/h, and dragged underneath, dying rapidly from significant injuries including a broken pelvis.

In sentencing in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Justice Michael Brett said Austin then went back to the house "leaving her to die".

He returned to the car and put Jacqui on the back seat before driving back to the house and getting his dad to drive the car down to the road to meet an ambulance.

Jacqui had tried to call police earlier in the evening but couldn't get through because of poor reception in the area.

When police called the house soon after the incident, Austin tried to divert them by saying Jacqui was not there and had gotten a ride home.

"Your actions were cold-blooded, callous and selfish to an extent which is difficult to describe in words," Justice Brett said.

Jacqui was a much-loved mother of four. Image: Facebook/JacquiPurton.

Austin had previously threatened to kill Jacqui and was controlling and violent in their "on-and-off-again" relationship spanning four years.

There was a family violence order aimed at preventing him from assaulting or abusing her.

Austin had previously driven a car at Jacqui when she tried to leave the property, but she had always managed to jump out of the way.

Justice Brett said Austin, whose sentence has been backdated to 2023 when he was taken into custody, did not intend to hit her on the night in question but wanted to frighten her.

"(But) she did not (jump out of the way) or could not do so. You did not brake despite seeing her in front of you," Justice Brett said.

Speaking to the court earlier, Jacqui's mother Leanne Walford said her family had been left devastated and with unanswered questions.

"Jacqui died alone on a dark lonely road. Was she terrified? Why wasn't she able to leave like she planned?" Leanne said.

"My daughter was a crime scene and a case file. To me she was my everything."

One of Jacqui's sisters Jenna said she was strong, loyal and protective.

Her daughter Shakira said she was a beautiful, free spirit and the "glue" of the family.

"She was the only parent we ever knew. The one person we knew would always show up," she said.

'More than a case file.'

Jacqui has been remembered as a fun, bold and kind free spirit who was dedicated to her children and immediate family.

Speaking outside court, Leanne and Shakira pledged to continue to fight for reform to prevent domestic violence.

They said harsher penalties were needed for incidents involving cars being driven by people's current or former partners.

On the Facebook page 'Jac's Legacy', Shakira posted that she is advocating for a new law for these penalties, called Jacqui's Law.

"If Jacqui's Law is passed it will ensure that any person (Jacqui's Law covers ALL victims of domestic violence) who is killed by a motor vehicle being driven by a current or former partner and there is a history of domestic or family violence that person is charged and prosecuted on the grounds of murder," she wrote.

"This law will also ensure that our government services such as the courts, victims support services and MAIB acknowledge and accept that a motor vehicle be deemed as a weapon."

Leanne said the full extent of domestic violence experienced by her daughter hadn't been revealed in court.

"She was more than a case file. Laws must be tougher because our numbers are going to keep going up," she said.

Justice Brett said Jacqui's death was a very serious example of manslaughter, family violence and breach of an order.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

This post was originally published in March 2023 and has since been updated.

Feature Image: Facebook/@JacquiPurton/Jac'sLegacy.