Hannah Clarke inquest: Timeline of key events leading up to and after the mother-of-three’s death
Rowan Baxter was unstoppable in ‘executing murderous plans’ that ended with the death of Hannah Clarke and his three young children, a coroner has found, before recommending an urgent upgrade in domestic violence training for some police.
Police & Courts
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A Queensland coroner says it was “unlikely” that any further actions from friends, family or the police could have stopped Rowan Baxter from “ultimately executing his murderous plans”.
Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley said he was not mentally ill – rather, a “master manipulator”.
The Coroner has handed down her findings in to the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her three children following a two-week inquest in March.
The inquest heard harrowing evidence about the weeks leading up to the moment Rowan Baxter ambushed Hannah and her children, dousing them in fuel and setting them on fire in an attack at Camp Hill on February 19, 2020.
The inquest heard Baxter methodically planned the sickening attack on his family, going to Bunnings the day before to buy a fuel can and zip ties.
Baxter had written a “death note” to Hannah in his phone, started on January 26 and finished on February 8, including statements such as: “I’m finishing your game. I don’t want to play any more.”
Delivering her findings today, Coroner Bentley said once Hannah left, and Baxter realised he could no longer control her, he began to rally support from friends, including some he had not seen for years.
“He received funds and support from a number of friends and family members who believed his lies that Hannah was treating him badly and he was being victimised by her,” she said.
She said he manipulated doctors, psychologists and support services to assist him with Family Court matters and after murdering his family, killed himself “out of cowardice”.
“Baxter’s actions affected not only family and friends but those who were forced to witness the horrendous outcome of his actions,” she said.
She said those on scene did all they could to assist not only Hannah and her children, but also Baxter.
Coroner Bentley praised the actions of Senior Constable Angus Skaines, who stayed with Hannah at the crime scene.
“Sen Const Skaines’ professionalism in the face of the horror he was witnessing is highly commendable,” she said.
The coroner said it was of “great concern” that even after Baxter killed his wife and children, both men and women gave statements to police claiming he loved his wife and children, that he was a good father and that his actions were somehow excused or explained by the fact he was losing his family.
Coroner Bentley found that Hannah was dealt with appropriately by the police officers with whom she came into contact with in the weeks before her death.
Coroner Bentley found that since 2017, police officers had received “inadequate” training, given domestic violence accounts for about half the service’s workload.
She said even specialist domestic violence police lacked training.
Coroner Bentley said “immediate comprehensive training” was needed, as well as annual refresher training.
She said there was a “failure by all agencies to recognise (Hannah’s) extreme risk of lethality”.
She said that was due in part to the fact that Baxter had not been physically violent, had no relevant criminal history and it was considered Hannah had the support of her family.
There had also been no assessment of the risk of harm to the children, with the Department of Child Safety only looking at whether they had one parent who was able to care for them.
The coroner was scathing of Baxter’s cowardly actions on the day he murdered his family.
“Baxter understood the extent of the atrocities he had committed,” she said.
“He did not want to live with the public denunciation and punishment he would receive so, when he was sure his plan had been carried out, he killed himself in a final act of cowardice.”
Coroner Bentley said it was concerning to see the level of support given to Baxter even in the wake of the chilling murders.
“The majority of the statements provided by friends and associates of Hannah and Baxter provide an insight into the controlling nature of Baxter’s personality and how it led to the deaths,” she said.
“However, it is of great concern and reflective of the attitudes that continue to pervade our community that even after Baxter had killed Hannah and the children, a number of his friends and associates (both men and women) gave statements to police in which they stated that Baxter loved his wife and children, he was a great father and that his actions were somehow excused or explained by the fact that he was “losing everything”, he was victimised by the process and that Hannah should not have kept his children from him.
“The inescapable fact is that, Hannah, who knew him best, was initially in favour of him having contact with the children but became fearful for their safety as she (correctly) perceived that he was becoming more dangerous.”
She said even when Hannah was extremely fearful of Baxter, she continued to facilitate safe contact between him and the children via Facetime.
“Hannah’s expressions of fear were not concocted to assist her in the custody process, as was alleged by some of Baxter’s friends,” she said.
“Her fears were genuine and realistic and ultimately confirmed in the very worst way.”
The coroner noted the Queensland Government had already accepted all 89 recommendations of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
But she said she found there were some matters requiring “immediate attention” to prevent more deaths from occurring.
She made recommendations that:
– The Queensland government fund police to provide a five-day face-to-face DV training program for all specialist DV police officers as a matter of urgency
– The QPS include in the annual Operational Skills Training a face-to-face module on DV which is mandatory for all police officers
– The Queensland Government provide funding to trial a multi-disciplinary specialist domestic violence police station for a period of 12 months – preferably in the Logan or Kirwan (Townsville) district which have the highest numbers of DV incidents – and the station includes at least the following – Specialist DV police officer/s including a detective to investigate criminal offences, specialist DV support worker, a child safety officer from Department of Child Safety to assess risk of harm to children of families impacted by DV, an employee from Queensland Department of Housing to provide advice and assistance on accommodation for victims, an employee from Queensland Health to assess mental health, drug and alcohol issues and the wellbeing of children, a lawyer to provide legal advice to police and victims.
– The Queensland government provide funding for men’s behaviour change programs, both in prisons and in the communities, as a matter of urgency.
Coroner Bentley concluded the inquest in tears, as she offered her sincere condolences to Hannah’s parents, Sue and Lloyd.
Outside court, Hannah’s parents Sue and Lloyd welcomed the coroner’s findings and said they hoped they would eventually be implemented not only in Queensland, but across the country.
They said education was crucial and they were pleased that more training had been recommended for police officers.
They said the specialist domestic violence police station was a “dream” and could be a “game changer”.
Sue said she hoped Hannah would be proud of the work they had done with their charity Small Steps 4 Hannah.
Asked about the comments from the coroner that Hannah had been “incredibly brave”, Sue agreed.
“I think he (Baxter) underestimated how much a mother would fight, how strong a mother is,” she said.
“He didn’t love the children like she did. He had no idea what a mother would do.”
TIMELINE OF TRAGEDY
2012: Hannah Clarke and Rowan Baxter are married. Their relationship is plagued by controlling and frightening behaviour from Baxter.
Late 2019: Hannah and Baxter separate, she and her children move in with her parents at Camp Hill.
December 26, 2019: Baxter kidnaps Laianah on Boxing Day and takes her interstate for four days.
January 29, 2020: Baxter walks free from court after being dealt with for breaching a domestic violence order.
February 2020: Baxter breaches the domestic violence order by contacting Hannah.
February 17, 2020: Baxter goes to Bunnings where he is seen perusing mower fuel before purchasing a jerry can which he used in the fatal attack. He also purchases zip ties and surface cleaner.
February 18, 2020: Baxter calls a men’s helpline and makes comments including: “I’m not the one who has the problem.”
February 19, 2020: On the morning of the murders, Baxter fills the jerry can with fuel and has a coffee at a cafe where he waits for an hour before leaving to ambush Hannah and her children. As Hannah leaves her parent’s home with the children in the car, Baxter jumps into the front seat and tells her to drive. He douses his family with fuel and sets them alight. Baxter and the three children die at the scene, while Hannah dies hours later in hospital.
June 2020: The Clarke family sets up Small Steps 4 Hannah to campaign for change and support domestic violence services.
Nov 2021: Sue and Lloyd Clarke are named Queensland’s Australians of the Year for their work in campaigning for the criminalisation of coercive control.
December 2021: A pre-inquest conference is held into the deaths. The counsel assisting the coroner says the inquest will examine interactions the family had with domestic violence support services and police.
March 2022: The inquest into the deaths of Hannah and her three children begins in Brisbane. The court hears harrowing evidence relating to the deaths. Footage is shown of Baxter perusing a Bunnings shop, casually selecting the items he would use to kill his family. The court also hears he phoned a men’s helpline the day before he killed his family, he had a “death note” to Hannah on his phone and a psychologist had given Baxter a “glowing note” to present to a DV hearing in court.
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