Current Events > Man burns ex and three kids alive. Detective makes a 'both sides' comment

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As a result he has stepped down.

A senior Queensland detective who said police were keeping an open mind as to whether the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her children were a case of a husband being driven too far has been stood aside from the investigation.

Clarke, 31, and her children, Laianah, 4, Aaliyah, 6, and Trey, 3, were killed when Baxter allegedly poured petrol on his family and set them alight at Camp Hill in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Baxter died on the footpath from self-inflicted wounds, police say.
The estranged couple had separated before Christmas last year, and members of both families have painted a picture of a violent and controlling relationship.

Clarkes sister-in-law, Stacey Roberts, said her parents had exhausted themselves helping her escape this monster, and in messages obtained by the Courier-Mail, a family member of Rowan Baxter repeatedly reassured Clarke shed done the right thing in leaving.

Im so glad I got out when I did, Clarke wrote to the woman earlier this month. Im OK, struggling, but I know Ive made the right decision.

But in comments that drew an immediate and angry response from domestic violence advocates, Thompson also said police would keep an open mind about Baxters motives and wanted to speak to people who knew both families.
We need to look at every piece of information 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 said.

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 it an instance of a husband being driven too far by issues hes suffered by certain circumstances into committing acts of this form?

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/feb/21/queensland-police-apologise-for-open-mind-comments-about-of-hannah-clarke-and-children

What a remarkably stupid thing to say.

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lol fuck this guy

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Okay

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You better belive the garbo conservative 'feminists' were out there praising the police before he stepped down too.

https://twitter.com/thebettinaarndt/status/1230623373232787456

Fuck those people especially

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It really is important to gather every possible perspective on these issues, to be certain that you have the most complete possible picture before passing judgment. You really do have to be able to say you've listened to everyone.

But I've got to be honest, I doubt it would chance the outcone very much. This could very well have been a mutually-abusive scenario between the spouses -that happens sometimes- but the fact remains that one party escalated to deadly force and the other did not (and, indeed, retreated entirely rather than allow the violence to continue). I also find it extemely difficult to imagine any scenario where the children might have brought even the remotest semblance of any of this on themselves, yet they burned all the same.

So, um, yeah. F*** this guy. Get whatever information is needed to determine appropriate charges, and then nail him to the wall.

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What fucking excuse is there for burning children alive, exactly?

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EvenSpoonier posted...

It really is important to gather every possible perspective on these issues, to be certain that you have the most complete possible picture before passing judgment. You really do have to be able to say you've listened to everyone.

But I've got to be honest, I doubt it would chance the outcone very much. This could very well have been a mutually-abusive scenario between the spouses -that happens sometimes- but the fact remains that one party escalated to deadly force and the other did not (and, indeed, retreated entirely rather than allow the violence to continue). I also find it extemely difficult to imagine any scenario where the children might have brought even the remotest semblance of any of this on themselves, yet they burned all the same.

So, um, yeah. F*** this guy. Get whatever information is needed to determine appropriate charges, and then nail him to the wall.

Even then the guy was dead from suicide and the police were well aware of the domestic violence issues and were called to stop him more than once.

I just can't comprehend what he was even going for there. I'm not sure what info he could have possibly gotten that would change anything. I don't know who he is picturing that would take the side of the husband.

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so much for the tolerant left

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Darmik posted...

You better belive the garbo conservative 'feminists' were out there praising the police before he stepped down too.

https://twitter.com/thebettinaarndt/status/1230623373232787456

Fuck those people especially

yeah. whatever the reason burning people alive is unforgiveable

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I'd make jokes but this level of malicious agenda-driven stupidity is becoming far too common.

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Its a fucked up thing to happen but what if dude was emotionally/mentally abused throughout the whole relationship that he went insane to the point of doing some shit like this as he felt it was his only escape?

Not justifying what he did because no one should do anything like that but just saying. there are insanity laws and shit for a reason and dousing yourself and your whole family sounds like some insane ass shit to do

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 it an instance of a husband being driven too far by issues hes suffered by certain circumstances into committing acts of this form?

Looks like this was the real problem tbh.

If he'd just said "detectives are keeping an open mind" or "we are looking at all the evidence in this case" he would have delivered the same message but with professional intent.

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Guide posted...

What fucking excuse is there for burning children alive, exactly?

None at all. Fuck the piece of shit.

toyota posted...

Its a fucked up thing to happen but what if dude was emotionally/mentally abused throughout the whole relationship that he went insane to the point of doing some shit like this as he felt it was his only escape?

Fuck off. Not buying that. He was emotionally and mentally abused enough to want to burn children alive? Nuh uh. Get the fuck outta here with that shit.

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That really looks to me like the officer trying to say "we don't know if this was a horrible domestic violence situation or some kind of actual mental break" but unfortunately wording it in a way that allows people to see "husband being driven too far" and automatically add "by his wife and children" in their minds.

what ever happened to going out for a "cigarette" when you wanted to be rid of your family?

the cop is just one of many authority figures who shouldn't be allowed to make decisions about other people. or at least not allowed to speak.
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Guide posted...

What fucking excuse is there for burning children alive, exactly?

Absolutely none.

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Darmik posted...

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 it an instance of a husband being driven too far by issues hes suffered by certain circumstances into committing acts of this form?

How is that an A or B question? Seems like it's either A or A because of B, if for some reason you must bring B into it.

I hope he gets fired.
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The australian legal system and government are full of corruption and frankly evil people.

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toyota posted...

Its a fucked up thing to happen but what if dude was emotionally/mentally abused throughout the whole relationship that he went insane to the point of doing some shit like this as he felt it was his only escape?

I love how you ignore the part where both families said it was an abusive relationship and a member of his own family is quoted as being on the side of the wife.

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Queensland of course

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The dude just worded his **** stupidly relax.

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zhangliao1 posted...

Queensland of course

Queensland?

Eww.

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Darmik posted...

Queensland d

Sounds about right

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Yeah, what if the absolute evil murdering human garbage was actually a victim making killing yourself and your entire family ok?

Sarcasm

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I don't understand why his motive matters, he killed himself and will not be prosecuted either way

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Tenlaar posted...

That really looks to me like the officer trying to say "we don't know if this was a horrible domestic violence situation or some kind of actual mental break" but unfortunately wording it in a way that allows people to see "husband being driven too far" and automatically add "by his wife and children" in their minds.

Yeah that is a constant issue when it comes to audiences. People are getting more and more presumptuous all the time.

You guys are all going to have egg on your faces when it turns out that the wife and kids were actually planning on destroying the world and the husband sacrificed himself to save us.

It doesn't really matter how much he was "driven". You murder innocents you're a piece of shit.
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I was kidnapped at gunpoint and the guys stole money from my bank account through ATM.

The detective who was doing follow up questioning straight up implied that I was gay, and not in an awkward mistaken kind of way but in a strong, "You're gay and you have sex with men" joke.

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Dear fellow police men
We should keep an open mind as to what drove this man into executing such inane acts

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I'm all for trying to understand why people did what they did, but it also doesn't erase what they did or the fact that it's not okay in the slightest.

"I plead not guilty. You see, it's really her fault for making me kill her. In a sense this is actually a murder suicide where she murdered her kids then killed herself."

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