The widow and father of one of the six people killed in James Gargasoulas’ infamous driving rampage in the Melbourne CBD in 2017 have been scathing of some of the police officers involved in the case.

On the last day of inquest into the tragedy in which six people died and 27 were injured Melinda Tan, the widow of Matthew Si,33, accused some of the police officers on the day of being more concerned with their careers than with the safety of the public.

Gargasoulas, who was driving a stolen Holden Commodore when he ploughed into pedestrians on the busy Bourke Street mall on 20 January, 2017, had been followed by police for several hours after he had stabbed his brother earlier.

Gargasoulas received a 46-year jail sentence in February 2019.

READ MORE: Police failings outlined in inquest into Gargasoulas’ Bourke St rampage

Ms Tan told Coroner, Judge Jacqui Hawkins, that the police were relying on the relationship one officer, Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner, had previously developed with Gargasoulas.

The inquest heard that Gargasoulas was obsessed with DSC Gentner. On the morning of the tragedy, after Gargasoulas had stabbed his brother, DSC Gentner had unsuccesfully tried to convince him to surrender by telephone and text messages while the police chased him over several Melbourne suburbs.

“The whole plan was hinging on this one person negotiating with the offender,” Ms Tan told the inquest. “You cannot negotiate with a psychopath with text messages.”

She criticised the police who even with the benefit of hindsight could not say how the situation could have been handled differently to be prevent the tragedy from taking place.

“In other words, our families had to be sacrificed,” Ms Tan said. “If this is the best Victoria Police has to offer, then we are better off protecting ourselves.”

Mr Si’s father, Kheng Si said he struggled to understand how events had developed into the tragedy on the day and how Gargasoulas who was guilty of a number of prior breaches of the law, had been able to to obtain bail and continue to elude officers as he continued to offend.

Mr Si criticised the police officers’ inaction despite the resources available to them and was also critical of their lack of leadership on the day of the tragedy.

“Regrettably the outcome was six young innocent people who lost their lives … There seemed to be no accountability.

“There was an acknowledgement of victim’s pain, agony and sufferings but no formal apology,” said Mr Si.

Matthew Bryant, the father of the three-month old baby Zachary who died when Gargasoulas drove into his pram, said that he hated knowing that his son’s death was to be the catalyst for change.

Junpei Kanno, the brother of another victim, Yosuke, 25, wrote in a statement read at the inquest by his cousin, Hitomi Hattori, that Austalia was “generous to criminals”.

“I see Australia as a country where you are murdered just walking the streets,” the inquest heard.

“My brother came here to study because he wanted to support many people as an occupational therapist. All he wanted to do was to help others, but I cannot picture myself helping others because my brother’s kindness backfired on him in this instance.”

Judge Hawkins adjourned the inquest to 25 May. She offered her condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

“This trauma may resurface in a different way now the inquest has concluded,” she said.