Crucial information about Hannah Clarke’s estranged ex-husband choking her during sex was not passed onto police in the months before she and her children were horrifically killed, an inquest has been told.
Support workers who had contact with the young mum in the months before her death have been called to the coronial inquest on Wednesday to shed light on how she desperately sought help to deal with her abusive and violent ex-husband.
It comes as the inquest into the deaths of Ms Clarke, her ex Rowan Baxter and their children Laianah, Aaliyah and Trey enters its final days in Brisbane.
The four were murdered when Baxter doused the family car in petrol and set it on fire on February 19, 2020.
Baxter took his own life as neighbours desperately tried to extinguish the fire.
One woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on Wednesday gave evidence of Ms Clarke asking for support in December 2019.
At the time, Ms Clarke had concerns about Baxter using technology to abuse her and was seeking advice on family violence.
The woman completed a risk assessment with Ms Clarke, wxjmtzywho disclosed that Baxter had choked her during sex – something that made Ms Clarke’s case “high risk”.
The inquest was told that information was not passed on to police as it was “assumed” they would know what happened.
“We get a range of high-risk situations, so unfortunately it was a situation where we didn’t have the manpower to complete it that week,” the woman said.
The woman said domestic and family violence services were not closely linked with the police and officers at times had mixed responses to cases.
Another woman told the inquest that she was surprised at how “calm” Ms Clarke appeared and assumed she would be “more emotionally fearful and distraught”.
She gave evidence she did not believe Ms Clarke was at “imminent risk” as police and DV support agencies were assisting her at the time.
A distraught Hannah Clarke tells police her estranged husband Rowan Baxter has abducted her four-year-old daughter Laianah on Boxing Day 2019.
“Having said that, her children were also present when we visited and maybe she didn’t want to display that emotion with her children,” she said.
“I know that her parents were there as social support. There was nothing glaring for me that I could see or assess as being at imminent risk.”
The inquest continues.
Domestic Violence helplines
