Sensational comments made by a detective in the aftermath of the 2020 murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children were not off-the-cuff mistakes, but part of a deliberate — and disastrously misjudged — media strategy by the Queensland Police Service (QPS), according to newly disclosed internal documents.

The strategy aimed to encourage associates of the killer, Rowan Baxter, to come forward, but instead sparked widespread condemnation and accusations of victim blaming.

In a presentation given to senior officers this year, slides and notes reveal that controversial remarks by former Detective Inspector Mark Thompson — in which he suggested the possibility that Baxter had been “driven too far” — were part of an orchestrated plan developed with a regional crime coordinator.

The objective, according to the briefing, was to “draw the narrative out and negative it,” prompting anyone sympathetic to Baxter to reveal themselves.

The approach, however, “went wrong” after a strong public backlash that eroded trust in the police response to the tragedy.

Thompson was removed from the investigation shortly afterward, though he has since been promoted within the service.

In the internal briefing, Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan argued the removal was unnecessary and claimed Thompson’s “intent was right,” reflecting frustration that police failed to retain control of the public narrative.

New material also exposes broader failings in the police response to Clarke’s repeated disclosures of domestic violence.

Whistleblower reports, body-worn camera footage and review documents show Clarke had reported stalking, prior strangulation, suspected grooming and escalating fear for her and her children’s safety.

These reports were not properly logged in police systems, preventing formal risk assessments required under domestic-violence protocols.

After the murders, detectives shifted focus toward questioning the “veracity and motive” of Clarke’s allegations instead of examining systemic failures that may have contributed to her death.

Body-camera footage shows officers advising Baxter on how to challenge a protection order and echoing his belief that women fabricate domestic-violence claims — material never disclosed in the 2022 coronial inquest.

Despite policy requiring a formal contact audit after every domestic-violence homicide, the QPS has not conducted a full internal review.

The new disclosures have intensified calls from advocacy groups and Clarke’s family for sweeping reform, including mandatory retrospective audits of all police-handled family-violence deaths.

With Queensland preparing to criminalise coercive control next year, the revelations are fuelling renewed demands for law-enforcement systems that meaningfully assess and respond to domestic-violence risk, to prevent another tragedy of this scale.