Senior Queensland police officers have admitted that controversial comments made in the wake of Hannah Clarke's horrific murder were part of a deliberate media strategy that went disastrously wrong, according to newly revealed documents.
Botched Police Strategy Revealed
Detective Inspector Mark Thompson sparked widespread outrage when he told a press conference in February 2020 that police were keeping an open mind about the case that saw Clarke and her three children burned to death by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter.
"We need to look at every piece of information," Thompson said at the time. "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."
He controversially questioned whether this was "an issue of a woman suffering significant domestic violence" or "an instance of a husband being driven too far."
Internal Police Division Exposed
Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal that Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan disagreed with the decision to stand Thompson down from the case, claiming his "intent was right" and that he "should have remained."
Swan's speaking notes from a police seminar state: "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 reveal police believed they lost an opportunity to "control the narrative" and maintain "control of the messaging" following Thompson's removal.
Critical Investigation Failures
The revelations form part of Guardian Australia's Broken Trust investigation, which has uncovered multiple police failures in the handling of Clarke's case.
The investigation found that Queensland police did not conduct a mandatory contact audit to examine all dealings between officers and the family violence victim. The force also failed to conduct an internal review of its own actions for the coronial inquest.
Two witnesses who had supported Baxter came forward following Thompson's comments, providing statements that claimed Clarke had fabricated domestic violence allegations. Detectives then questioned the "veracity and motive" of her disclosures in the months before her murder.
Expert Condemnation of Police Approach
Kate Pausina, a former senior detective with extensive experience reviewing domestic violence homicides, described the idea that the case required a "media strategy" as nonsensical.
"This was a coronial investigation, not a criminal one," she said. "There was no person of interest. It makes no sense that there was a need for a covert strategy."
Pausina emphasised that a victim is never responsible for the violence they experience or their own death, regardless of police intent.
The Queensland Police Service declined to address specific questions about whether it had endorsed the presentation or approved its content, referring instead to previous responses about its handling of the Clarke case.
