Domestic violence is no laughing matter. Something needs to be done to stop it from taking innocent lives. It shouldn’t take one case to get the government to do something about it. Look at the case of Queensland mother of three Hannah Clarke who was murdered alongside her three children by her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter.
On social media, the Baxter family seemed liked any other with three adorable children and two doting parents. However, away from the prying eyes of the world, it was a very different story. Rowan Baxter, husband to Hannah Clarke and father to Aaliyah (6), Laianah (4), and Trey (3) wasn’t a man to be truffled with. Unfortunately, he murdered his wife and three young children by dousing them and the family car with petrol and setting it alight before turning a knife on himself and committing suicide.
According to his cousin, Sandra Taylor, Baxter had a degrading view on women and how they should either be prostitutes or house cleaners. Meanwhile, this belief was backed up by Isaiah, Rowan’s sole surviving child with a former partner. The 22-year-old revealed he too had been abused by his estranged father. It’s no wonder he placed him on our men who murder list.
Isaiah Baxter Sends A Text Message To Stepmother’s Family And Nikki Brooks’ Revelation
Isaiah reached out to Hannah’s family and told them that if he could turn back time and take places of his sisters and brother, he would. It should also be noted that he and his mother were almost targets of his father too.
Nikki Brooks, a close friend to Hannah reveals Rowan had a rope in his car to murder his ex-partner and their son. He came close to doing it but something stopped him. At this time, Isaiah was only very young. Rowan came close to murdering another person when his eldest son was a baby. He later blamed someone else because ‘he had a baby in the car’.
Ms Brooks said when she spoke to A Current Affair that when Hannah left Rowan, she [Hannah] went straight to her [Nikki] house as her estranged husband didn’t know where she lived. For the first in a long time, there was relief.
Nikki told Hannah the week before her death that she had a sick feeling that Rowan was going to kill her and the kids. Hannah confided in her and said she had the same inkling. A week later, Hannah was dead and so were the kids.
Rowan Baxter Made Hannah And Their Children Suffer
Hannah’s brother, Nathaniel told the 7:30 program his sister received a load of support from the police. He went on to say that Rowan made his wife and their kids suffer. He used controlling tactics to make sure he got what he wanted.
Mr Clarke said that Rowan had a plan that he executed. Baxter rang the kids in a mess and he had a plan but didn’t allow it to play out quickly. He wanted Hannah to suffer for leaving him and taking the kids with her.
Another of Baxter’s cousins, Alana Hampson who lived with him as a teenager told Newshub about his dark past. She said that she felt uncomfortable around Rowan. Alana also claims he had an obsession with sex and porn and treated women poorly from an early age.
A Monster In The Making
While it’s true no person is born a monster, it can be the way they’re raised that triggers their thought process. Rowan Baxter’s childhood became dominated by several generations of men treating women like sex toys. Ms Hampson said Rowan’s mother got treated poorly and that she was a nice person.
After Christmas 2019, Hannah took the steps she needed to keep herself and her children safe from Baxter. According to the New Zealand Herald, Rowan kidnapped one of his daughters and took off with her for four days. He agreed to meet up with his estranged wife to spend time with the kids on Boxing Day.
He picked up Laianah and walked off with her. Aaliyah saw the whole thing and screamed at her father to put her sister down. Baxter, who didn’t care about inflicting emotional distress of his kids turned to Hannah and said:
“I told you this is your fault.”
Manja Whaley told this story as a friend of Hannah’s whom had children around the same age and attended the same gym Hannah worked at. The New Zealand Herald also adds that Baxter received a Domestic Violence Order (DVO) by a Queensland court as he took his daughter out of the state against her mother’s wishes.
Whaley went on to say Baxter thought his wife and children were possessions he controlled. She added that his behaviour wasn’t love, it was coercive control – the act of threats, intimidation, other methods of abuse.
Rowan’s methods of coercive control came in the form of wanting sex on a daily basis. When his spouse refused, he would punish her and the children. Baxter is believed to have hacked his wife’s phone and checked her Facebook account. He also accused her of cheating when she wasn’t.
Just Because There’s No Physical Violence Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Domestic Violence
Manja Whaley made an excellent point when she said in the New Zealand Herald article that just because there’s sometimes no physical proof of domestic violence, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Verbal abuse is also a form of DV, though it’s no widely seen as such.
Something needs to be done about domestic violence as more people are going to die before proper action can be taken. Also, victims should always know that any form or violence against you or someone close to you isn’t your fault. It’s the perpetrator’s fault even if they are playing the victim.
Rowan Baxter Should Have Been In Prison
We’ve made it quite plain that Rowan Baxter was a monster who only cared about himself and his degraded views on a woman’s role in society. If he felt that way, why did he get married and have four children with two women?
This is not the Middle Ages where women were used for an assortment of reasons that we won’t discuss. He is just a part of a long string of bastards that should rot in hell for the sins he committed against a woman he claimed to love and the children she gave him. Rowan Baxter should not be seen as a hero. He should be seen as a criminal who belonged behind bars for kidnapping and domestic abuse. Had he lived, he would probably be there now.
Did he think killing himself would send him to heaven for the senseless slaughter of four innocent people? No. This is a message for all people in relationships with or without children. You are not gods that people worship. Showing a tender side to yourself on social media is not who you are. Hiding that side to yourself will come out, no matter how well you hide it.
