Queensland Police “Media Strategy” Backfired in Hannah Clarke Murders Case, Documents Reveal
A controversial police “media strategy” implemented following the horrific murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children “went wrong,” according to documents obtained by Guardian Australia. The strategy, intended to shape public perception of the case, stemmed from comments made by a detective that were widely condemned as victim-blaming.
In February 2020, Clarke, her children Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey, were killed when her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, doused their car in petrol and set it alight. In the days following the tragedy, Detective Inspector Mark Thompson stated at a press conference that police were keeping an “open mind” about the case.
“We need to look at every piece of information,” Thompson said. “And, to put it bluntly, there are probably people out there in the community that are deciding which side, so to speak, to take in this investigation. Is this an issue of a woman suffering significant domestic violence and her and her children perishing at the hands of the husband? Or is this an instance of a husband being driven too far?”
These comments sparked immediate and intense criticism from domestic violence campaigners, who labeled them as “victim blaming.” Thompson was subsequently removed from the case by then-Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.
However, newly revealed documents show that senior officers within the Queensland Police Service (QPS) defended Thompson’s approach. This year, Thompson – now Superintendent – and Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan co-led a seminar on the Clarke homicide investigation at the Australian Federal Police’s prestigious Management of Serious Crime program.
Slides and speaking notes from the presentation, released to the Guardian by the QPS, reveal Swan disagreed with Carroll’s decision to stand down Thompson. Swan’s notes indicate Thompson’s “intent was right,” stating, “Mark should have remained.” He expressed regret over not more forcefully defending Thompson to Carroll, noting, “My gut feeling was that this was a wrong decision… Was I firm enough with the [commissioner]? Probably not – but it was too late – the decision was made without me.”
The notes detail how Thompson’s comments were part of a planned “media strategy” developed with the regional crime coordinator. The intention was to encourage individuals who had previously supported or sympathized with Baxter to come forward. However, the strategy backfired spectacularly due to widespread public outrage.
According to Guardian Australia’s “Broken trust” investigation, the fallout from the strategy led to detectives questioning the veracity of Clarke’s prior disclosures of domestic violence. Two witnesses who had supported Baxter subsequently provided statements alleging Clarke had fabricated claims of abuse.
The investigation also revealed potential critical errors made by police in the months leading up to Clarke’s death, raising serious concerns about the subsequent investigation. [Placeholder for a timeline graphic illustrating key events and police actions before and after the murders].
Kate Pausina, a former senior detective with extensive experience in domestic violence homicide reviews, described the “media strategy” as “nonsensical.” “This was a coronial investigation, not a criminal one,” she explained. “There was no person of interest. It makes no sense that there was a need for a covert strategy.” Pausina emphasized that regardless of intent, Thompson’s initial comments were “problematic and dangerous,” adding, “A victim is never responsible for the violence they experience and also for their own death.”
Following Thompson’s removal, Carroll announced a police investigation into their own interactions with Clarke. “We will go back, as will all other agencies, and this will go to the coroner to look at exactly what happened [and when],” she said at the time. “Could interventions be done earlier? Could we have prevented this? What do we learn from this? This is the conversation that we need to always have, because we’re always getting better at this.”
Guardian Australia reported that the QPS did not conduct a mandatory “contact audit” to review all interactions between officers and family violence victims, nor did they undertake an internal review of their actions for the inquest.
The speaking notes reveal Thompson felt ostracized by sporting and community groups following the public backlash. However, he also believed the negative attention “had the positive effect of focussing on the need to ensure positive cultural change among men (and in the organisation).”
The QPS declined to respond to specific questions from Guardian Australia regarding the presentation or whether the content was endorsed. The force referred to previous statements made concerning its handling of the Clarke case.
In a prior interview with the Guardian, then-Deputy Commissioner Cameron Harsley acknowledged that attitudes towards domestic and family violence within the police force were evolving. However, Assistant Commissioner Swan’s recent 100-day review of police operations – which argued that domestic violence case management was not “core business” – has drawn criticism, with some interpreting the findings as evidence of ongoing problematic attitudes towards family violence. This latest revelation underscores the complex and troubling issues surrounding the police response to domestic violence and the devastating consequences when strategies prioritize narrative control over victim support.
