The System That Failed Hannah Clarke

It was a summer morning in Camp Hill, an eastern suburb of Brisbane, when 31 year old Hannah Clarke helped her three children, six year old Aaliyah, four year old Laianah, and three year old Trey, get ready for the day ahead. 

It was Wednesday, February 19, 2020, and the morning was characteristically chaotic. 

Hannah was staying with her parents, following the breakdown of her relationship with Rowan Baxter, a man who had become increasingly abusive. 

As Hannah buckled her three small children into the car, Baxter emerged, having been watching her nearby. He forced her into the driver’s seat, and slipped himself into the passenger seat, holding a knife to her throat and telling her to drive. 

Within minutes, their three children would be dead. Hannah would sustain injuries so horrific, she would later die in hospital. 

The story of Hannah Clarke and her three children sent shock waves across the country, as we learned this was a woman who had a domestic violence order out against her former partner. 

The murder of four people was an endpoint in a reign of terror Baxter had subjected his family to for years. And an inquest, which finished only last week, shined a spotlight on the events leading up to that day, in February 2020.

CREDITS

Guest: Kate Kyriacou

Host: Jessie Stephens

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producers: Rhiannon Mooney

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