According to a coroner looking into Hannah Clarke and her children’s deaths, the mother’s bravery was “astounding,” and no one was likely to have been able to halt Rowan Baxter’s deadly plans.
Following a nine-day hearing in March, coroner Jane Bentley’s voice broke as she completed delivering her conclusions in a Southport court on Wednesday.
Baxter, according to Ms. Bentley, was not mentally ill but rather a “master of manipulation.”
She went on to say, “I believe it improbable that any additional measures taken by police officers, service providers, friends or family members could have prevented Baxter from ultimately carrying out his deadly objectives.”
In order to avoid further tragedies, Ms. Bentley stated that police training needed “urgent attention.”
She recommended a five-day face-to-face training course for specialized domestic violence police officers “as a matter of urgency,” a face-to-face domestic violence module that would be required of all officers, and an immediate funding commitment from the state government for men’s behavior change programs in jails and communities.
She also advocated for a yearlong trial of a multidisciplinary, specialized domestic violence police station.
A detective, a support worker, a lawyer to counsel the police and the victims, and officials from the housing, health, and child safety departments should all be stationed there.
On February 19, 2020, Ms. Clarke’s estranged husband Baxter stepped into her car as she was driving Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3, to school from her parents’ house in Brisbane’s Camp Hill neighborhood.
Before setting the automobile on fire, the 42-year-old stabbed himself with a knife and died nearby.
While Ms. Clarke, 31, passed away the same day in the hospital, the remains of the children were discovered inside the car.
CCTV footage showing Baxter making purchases of zip ties, cleaning solution, and a fuel can days before the killings was shown to the inquest.
When he bought petrol, he also bought three Kinder Surprise chocolates, perhaps for his kids.
Baxter may have first meant to kidnap Ms. Clarke, burn her, then give his children chocolates so that “all the families would be delighted,” according to counsel for the coroner Jacoba Brasch QC.
She claimed that after the 31-year-old defied him by turning to “plan B” after Baxter ambushed her, he did so.
Sue and Lloyd Clarke, the parents of Ms. Clarke, expressed their hope that others will benefit from the inquiry after the “unthinkably confronting” hearing.
There are recurring issues with police training and communication, the Coroners Court was informed.
But according to Mr. Clarke, Baxter could not have been stopped.
After the hearing, he remarked, “He was just one of those persons… so heartless and exploited everyone as a pawn in his horrific ways.”
Every so often, in Sue Clarke’s opinion, “a true monster is born and you can’t stop them,” she continued.
Shannon Fentiman, the attorney general of Queensland, expressed hope early on Wednesday that the inquest will leave behind “a far stronger system.”
She told 4BC radio on Wednesday, “It is really sad when we learn about these awful deaths and we have to do more to prevent (them from) happening.”
I frequently say, “We need to start acting on the warning signs before more blue police tape envelops the family home.”