Hannah Baxter with her 3-year-old son Trey. Photo / Supplied
Hannah Baxter with her 3-year-old son Trey. Photo / Supplied
The family of Hannah Clarke have revealed shocking insights into the controlling behaviour Rowan Baxter used against their daughter in a heartbreaking interview after her death.
Speaking with Nine's A Current Affair, Clarke's parents Lloyd and Suzanne Clarke and her brother Nathaniel gave an insight into her life and the lengths she went to protect her children from their father.
Suzanne revealed that Hannah feared her estranged husband Rowan Baxter would kill her and asked her mum last week: "What happens to my babies if he kills me?"
Hannah's mum was unequivocal in her assessment of Baxter, saying simply "he was evil" and had "manipulated" her daughter Hannah and tried to control her life.
In early January, Baxter was given a DVO by a Brisbane court for kidnapping one of their children and taking her interstate against Hannah's wishes.
Hannah Baxter with her 3-year-old son Trey. Photo / Supplied
"Not all domestic abuse is physical," Hannah's brother Nathaniel told the program. "Mental is probably one of the hardest things to pick up on.
"Even Hannah, for a few years there she said to me "I was thinking it wasn't abuse because he never hit me."
The family claimed he stalked Hannah through her mobile and knew where she was at all times. Baxter also forced her to have sex with him every night and made sure she wasn't on the pill leading to the "surprise" of her third child.
"In the beginning we thought he was a prude, but in hindsight we know there was more to it than that. He was controlling. It was Rowan's way or the highway."
"She had to grovel and then he would forgive her. She was petrified.
"He could manipulate her. The night before he killed them he was on the phone to the children crying and she hung up or the children hung up she said to me 'Mum I feel so bad for him'."
EMPOWERING NOTE HANNAH WROTE
An empowering note Hannah Clarke wrote to herself and her young daughters has moved one of Australia's top TV journalists to tears.
In an emotional interview with Clarke's devastated family, Tracy Grimshaw, the seasoned host of primetime show A Current Affair, had just heard how the young mother-of-three had agonised over whether to leave her abusive Kiwi husband, Rowan Baxter.
"She said to me before she left, 'Mum, I'm 31. Do I stay here and just be miserable forever or do I get out and try to get a life?' Clarke's mother Suzanne Clarke said.
"I said, 'Honey you've got to get out.' That's when we started to make plans."
Clarke, 31, and her children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4 and Trey, 3, were killed when 42-year-old Baxter torched the family car on a quiet suburban street in Brisbane before taking his own life.
"I am in control of my life and there is nothing I can't achieve. My girls will grow up being strong women who understand their worth."
It was those heartbreaking words that brought tears to Grimshaw's eyes and to those of viewers at home.
This ACA interview by Tracy Grimshaw with Hannah Clarke's mum, dad, and brother, is devastating. So sad, such a candid, insightful account by this grieving family. Absolutely incredible. 😭🕯️
Tracey Grimshaw’s compassion and empathy for Hannah Clarke’s parents and brother is so moving. This is so very sad and so difficult to fathom. How will the family ever recover from the loss? My heart goes out to the family. 🌹 https://t.co/ZmumtKNVN4
I commend Tracy Grimshaw & a Current Affair, for giving us the opportunity to meet Hannah’s family & giving the beautiful, brave family an audience to tell their story to, it seemed like it gave them a little solace to talk & plan, cried the whole way through but I am glad I did
Clarke's family gave a thorough description of Hannah's troubled marriage, from the rules she was forced to follow, to an incident on Boxing Day when Baxter kidnapped one of the children and took them interstate.
But in one last "brave" act for her children, they revealed Hannah was able to give an "articulate" and "detailed" account of the attack to first responders before she died.
They said after she got out of the car, she rolled on the ground, trying to put the fire out. She then yelled out to a neighbour who was watering the grass, "Help me, I'm covered in petrol".
Former rugby league player Rowan Baxter with his children in Brisbane last month. Photo / Supplied
She managed to give a detailed account to both medical workers and police, "almost like a police report", they said.
"So we want the symbol of her foot to be a symbol for her and her legacy. We want to try and start something to help women who are in this situation who have suffered domestic abuse, mentally, physically, sexually."
SEXUAL HARM - DO YOU NEED HELP?
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone contact Safe to Talk confidentially:
