Hannah Clarke's Family Not Offended By Stood Down Cop's Comment
Queensland's police commissioner says Hannah Clarke's family was 'in no way offended' by a detective's comment which suggested the man who killed her and her children could have been 'driven too far'.
Commissioner Katarina Carroll visited Clarke's family, including her parents Sue and Lloyd, on Friday after Detective Inspector Mark Thompson stood down from the investigation following outrage over the comment made on Thursday.
"I explained to them what had happened, and they were completely understanding," Carroll told reporters.
"(They) actually asked me to contact the officer to say they are in no way offended and to sincerely thank us for their support."
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Earlier on Friday, Carroll said she had spoken to Thompson and asked him to remove himself from the investigation.
Carroll apologised for the comments on behalf of the Queensland Police and said Thompson was "gutted" by the way he had explained the investigation to the public.
"It was an officer trying to explain a process, and then had a little bit too much to say about that," she said.
On Thursday, Thompson had said authorities were keeping an "open mind" during the investigation.
“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 that he’s suffered by certain circumstances into committing acts of this form?"
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Police Knew Hannah Clarke Was A Victim Of Domestic Violence
A day after Hannah Clarke and her three young children were killed in a Brisbane car fire that also left her estranged husband dead, police have confirmed they were aware of domestic violence issues between the former couple.
Hannah Clarke, 31, was murdered by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter along with her three children Laianah, four, Aaliyah, six, and Trey, three, when he ambushed them on the school run and set fire to their car.
The three children died in the car after it burst into flames on a quiet suburban street in leafy Camp Hill, in Brisbane’s east, on Wednesday.
Clarke later died in hospital from her injuries.
Thompson's comments had shocked domestic violence campaigners and other leaders, including federal Labour MP Brian Mitchell.
"Jesus Christ almighty. We don’t fumble about like this when terrorists kill - why does family violence bring out the hand-wringers for killers of women and kids?" he said on Twitter.
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Speaking to Fairfax, Angela Lynch, chief executive of the Women’s Legal Service Queensland, said the fact police are buying into this sort of rhetoric is "very concerning".
“It’s giving legitimacy to what has occurred. It’s victim-blaming. It’s saying that she might have caused this through her own actions," she said.
"It plays into very dangerous ideas in the community around victim-blaming and a whole range of myths about the family law system.”
The estranged couple had separated before Christmas last year, and members of both families have painted a picture of a violent and controlling relationship.
Carroll apologised on Friday for Thompson's comments. She added the phrasing was wrong, and that Thompson was dismayed.
"He is a man who has protected the Queensland community all his life and has worked endless hours, and when he looks back he cannot believe the way he has phrased that," she said.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, dial 000. If you need help and advice, call 1800Respect on 1800 737 732, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
