Hannah Clarke’s estranged husband showed 29 out of 39 "lethality indicators" of domestic violence before dousing her and her three children in petrol and setting them alight, a coronial inquest has heard.
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Details of the family's last few months have been revealed during an inquest into their deaths, which is examining if further police and domestic violence action could have been taken to protect them.
Ms Clarke, 31, her daughters Aaliyah, six, and Laianah, four, and her son, three-year-old Trey, died after Rowan Baxter ambushed their vehicle and set it on fire in a suburban Brisbane street in February 2020.
The inquest heard Ms Clarke told police she feared her three children being around their estranged father, after an attempted "abduction" in late 2019.
It heard his level of risk was in "plain sight" and that Ms Clarke had several interactions with police in the months before the murderous attack.
Counsel assisting the coroner Jacoba Brasch QC detailed the escalation of Ms Clarke's involvement with officers, which started with "some concerns" in early December 2019.
She said Baxter had tried to "abduct" the couple's middle child, Laianah, leaving her "visibly suffering some anxiety from the incident".
Police records presented to the court showed a protection order was then issued, and the couple was "assessed as high-risk".
"[Ms Clarke] says she's fearful of letting Rowan Baxter see the children after the incident," the records showed.
Dr Brasch told the court there were 39 "lethality indicators" that demonstrated the threat level in domestic violence situations.
She told the court Ms Clarke experienced 29 of those factors, including prior suicide threats by her estranged husband, child custody or access disputes, actual pending separation, age disparity and her intuitive sense of fear.
'We don't have a crystal ball'
Superintendent Martain was questioned about domestic violence homicides and protocols for officers.
He said it was hard to predict domestic violence murders.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball," he said.
"A great proportion of domestic and family violence homicides have had no prior domestic and family violence contact with Queensland police.
"I would love to find a risk assessment tool anywhere in the world that accurately predicts domestic and family violence homicide."
The evidence presented by Dr Brasch is yet to be tested in court, with officers involved in the family's case due to give evidence next week.
Baxter died at the scene from self-inflicted injuries.
