New evidence uncovered by Guardian Australia has revealed serious police failings in the lead-up to the murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children, which were overlooked by the coronial inquest and never investigated by homicide detectives. The previously unreported material includes evidence that Clarke made repeated disclosures to a Queensland police officer about her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, that were not logged in police systems.
Clarke, 31, was leaving her parents' Brisbane home on 19 February 2020 with her children when Baxter jumped into the car, doused it with fuel and set it alight before stabbing himself. The bodies of Aaliyah, six, Laianah, four, and Trey, three, were found in the vehicle; Clarke died in hospital. The coroner found it was unlikely anything more could have been done to prevent the attack.
However, a whistleblower has alleged that the homicide investigation did not examine the prior police response and failed to address potentially critical mistakes in the final months of Clarke's life. The Guardian can reveal that detectives investigated the 'veracity and motive' of Clarke's allegations of domestic violence and coercive control, rather than focusing on police conduct.
Hundreds of pages of text messages between Clarke and Senior Constable Kirsten Kent show that Clarke disclosed non-lethal strangulation, stalking and suspected child grooming. These allegations were not recorded by Kent, who had been assigned to handle the case. Police sources say this failure prevented an accurate assessment of the risk Clarke faced, which could have triggered additional protections.
The deputy state coroner Jane Bentley commended Kent for her dealings with Clarke, despite the failures. A whistleblower has now made a complaint to the Crime and Corruption Commission about the handling of the case, accusing the coroner of failing to identify the consequences of the unlogged messages.
