Lunson had killed himself. Jago was left "distraught, disoriented, and overwhelmed" by the horrendous loss.

But instead of being comforted through his immense pain, he was met with humiliation.

Tasmanian police told Jago he was not the next of kin and that the body would instead be released to Lunson's estranged mother.

When Jago rang the coroner's office to clarify, it said he could be the next of kin if he registered the relationship. But when he rang Births, Deaths and Marriages to do just that, it said the relationship could only be registered if both parties agreed.

Jago was barred from visiting Lunson's body in the Royal Hobart Hospital. He was only welcome at the funeral if he sat at the back, didn't speak, and played no role. Their relationship was not mentioned in the service.



Jago said Lunson wanted to be cremated in Hobart, where the couple lived, but Lunson's family decided to bury him in Ulverstone, almost 300km away.

Instead of grieving with loved ones, Jago was shut out from his partner's death and left scrambling to figure out his rights.



"The last two years have been the hardest of my life," he told BuzzFeed News.

