Queensland police admit ‘media strategy’ behind controversial comments after Hannah Clarke murders ‘went wrong’

Senior Queensland police officers gave a presentation that explained controversial comments made by a detective in the wake of the Hannah Clarke murders were part of a police “media strategy” that “went wrong”, documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal.

Det Insp Mark Thompson told a press conference in the days after the murders in February 2020 that police were keeping an “open mind” about the case in which Clarke’s estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, was seen pouring petrol on and setting the family car alight, killing Clarke, their three children and himself.

“We need to look at every piece of data,” 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?”

The comments were heavily criticised and condemned as “victim blaming” by domestic violence campaigners and thompson was removed from the case by the former police commissioner Katarina Carroll.

This year Thompson – since promoted to superintendent – and the assistant commissioner Brian Swan ran a seminar about the Clarke homicide investigation at the prestigious Management of Serious Crime program run by the Australian federal police.

Broken trust: how police failed Hannah Clarke and other women they were supposed to protect

“My gut feeling was that this was a wrong decision,” the notes say. “Was I firm enough with the [commissioner]? Probably not – but it was too late – the decision was made without me.

“We lost an opportunity and could have controlled the narrative and kept control of the messaging.”

the speaking notes suggest that Thompson’s comments were part of a deliberate “media strategy” that had been planned with the regional crime coordinator. It was

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Queensland Police Commissioner Stands Down After Controversial Comments

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll announced her resignation following intense scrutiny over comments made by Assistant Commissioner Michael Thompson regarding a recent domestic violence fatality. Thompson’s remarks,deemed “extremely problematic and dangerous,” sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability.

The controversy centers around Thompson’s statement, made during an inquest into the death of a woman killed by her husband. He suggested the victim bore some responsibility for the violence she experienced.This ignited immediate backlash from domestic violence advocates and the public alike. Carroll swiftly stood Thompson down from his duties pending investigation.

“The initial comment was extremely problematic and dangerous,nonetheless of its intent.A victim is never responsible for the violence they experience and also for their own death,” Carroll stated at a press conference. She confirmed police would investigate their interactions with the victim and review internal procedures.

Carroll emphasized a commitment to learning from this tragedy.”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. “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, as we’re always getting better at this.”

Investigations have revealed systemic issues within the Queensland police force.Guardian Australia reported that a mandatory “contact audit” – a review of all police dealings with the victim – was not conducted. Furthermore, the force failed to initiate an internal review of its own actions related to the case prior to the inquest.

Thompson, according to speaking notes released, expressed feeling isolated from his community and sporting groups due to the public reaction to his comments. This detail adds another layer to the complex situation, but doesn’t diminish the harm caused by his initial statement.