Hannah Clarke inquest told best friend reported Rowan Baxter to cops

Hannah Clarke’s best friend has told the inquest into her death that she she was worried Hannah’s estranged husband would kill her and her children, just days before he eventually did.

Hannah Clarke’s best friend has told of multiple occasions when she witnessed concerning behaviour from her estranged husband Rowan Baxter, at one stage reporting his intentions to police just days before he killed Hannah and her three children.

Nicole Brooks told the inquest into the death of Hannah and her three children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4 and Trey, 3 on February 19, 2020, that she had encouraged Hannah to leave and helped her escape the relationship, telling of one occasion where Hannah sent her a photo of her wrist after an altercation with Baxter.

Ms Brooks said even an hour after the attack, the links of her gold bracelet were still embedded in her skin.

“She told me that he grabbed her arm and she said he was trying to break my wrist,” Ms Brooks said.

“She said there’s no doubt in my mind he was trying to break my arm.”

Hannah Clarke and her children were murdered by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter.

But then, just six days before the murders that shocked the nation, Ms Brooks said she went to Carina police station to tell the police that she believed Baxter would kill Hannah and the children.

She said she did this because Hannah had been telling her that she believed Baxter would kill her.

“I relayed that at the police station – (I said) he’s going to take them out,” Ms Brooks said.

She said the police told her: “We can’t really do anything until he does something.”

She said she responded by saying: “What if you don’t get a second chance?”

Her statement to police was to assist them in taking out a domestic violence order against Baxter.

Ms Brooks revealed her last conversation with Hannah came on the afternoon before she was killed.

Rowan Baxter’s actions had seriously concerned Ms Brooks. Source: Facebook

Hannah said Baxter had Facetimed the children and was sobbing the entire time.

“It made the kids really uncomfortable,” she said.

“She said it wasn’t a normal sob. She said I actually felt bad for him.

“(She said) I don’t like seeing people hurting and I just said that I’m proud of you for being a person who doesn’t get a kick out of seeing somebody else suffering. I said he’s never given you that level of consideration.”

Ms Brooks said her best friend “kindly said ‘things could have been so different’.”