There were many derogatory stories told about Rowan Baxter this week as an inquest examined how he could burn his wife Hannah Clarke and their three young children to death.
WARNING: This story contains content that readers may find distressing.
Couldn't remember his own bank pin number, called his gym clients "pigs", forgot to register his car, never earned enough money to support his family, deliberately dropped his mother-in-law on her head during a work-out and laughed at her even though she and her husband were financing his gym. Was threatened by his wife's physical fitness.
The picture painted by those who knew him and gave evidence was almost a caricature of a not-very-bright, violent, narcissistic, hot headed, musclebound gym junkie.
Despite his apparent ignorance, lack of awareness and inability to undertake some of the most basic tasks in life, testimonies have also revealed how his behaviour failed to trigger systems and laws that were supposed to protect Ms Clarke and her children.
On February 19, 2020, as Ms Clarke drove their three children Trey, 3, Laianah, 4 and Aaliyah, 6, to school in Brisbane, Baxter jumped in the car splashed petrol around and set it on fire.
The children died in the car. Ms Clarke died later in hospital of severe burns, while Baxter took his own life beside the vehicle.
An inquest into the deaths before Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley has been hearing evidence about the lead-up to the attack from those who knew Baxter and Ms Clarke's family.
Inquest to hear evidence about police responses to domestic violence
This coming week it will hear evidence from police officers who had dealings with Ms Clarke as she sought to separate herself from Baxter and deal with his ongoing harassment, stalking and violent behaviour.
Already on Friday, Detective Sergeant Derek Harris provided some clues about the problems police faced in stopping Baxter's behaviour.
He revealed that even though Baxter had brazenly abducted the couple's middle daughter Laianah in front of witnesses from out of Ms Clarke's care, there was nothing police could do.
"There was no court order and there was no child protection orders in place to stop Rowan from legally having access to his child," Detective Sergeant Harris told the inquiry.
"What he did was disgusting and inappropriate and he did it for the prime purpose to cause harm to Hannah ... unfortunately, it was not something that investigators could progress."
One reason Baxter appeared able to get away with this behaviour was through Ms Clarke being unaware that such conduct was unacceptable and illegal.
Earlier this week, Ms Clarke's mother Sue gave evidence that her daughter had met with a police officer after separating from Baxter.
Hannah Clark told her mother 'he never hit me' despite several assaults
Sue Clarke said the police officer had told her daughter that what Baxter had been doing to her was rape and that she had enough to take out a domestic violence order.
But she said Hannah told her 'he never hit me, mum'.
Ms Clarke said she saw Baxter physically assault Hannah one day when he arrived to drop off the children and had deliberately left photos of Hannah in her underwear in the car so she could see them.
She said when her daughter tried to get the photos, Baxter grabbed her wrists up behind her back and held her.
Ms Clarke said she ran outside and screamed at Baxter to let Hannah go — which he did calling her "a moll".
She said Hannah had a sprained wrist and a split lip.
Ms Clarke said they later found out that Baxter had put his hand on Hannah's neck in November, 2019.
Asked if she was aware if any police officer had spoken to Hannah about charging Baxter with rape or strangulation, Ms Clarke said she was not aware of it.
Ms Clarke revealed at the time of her death Hannah had been trying to get a new rental property.
Asked if she would have agreed to go into secure accommodation if it had been available, Ms Clarke confirmed her daughter would have.
'You have no idea what I'm capable of'
Hannah's oldest friend Nicole Brooks knew Baxter very well and spoke of him "not being very bright".
She said Baxter's treatment of his gym customers "blew" her mind.
"He called other women in the gym [pigs]. He would say it on Facebook. He would say: 'I have had to fill up the men's handwash three times. You women are pigs. I haven't had to fill that up.'
"I was like 'what on earth?'"
She said Hannah told her about an incident where Baxter had come from a martial arts class and was "just full of adrenaline and testosterone by the time he got home".
"He tripped her … looked her in the eye and said you have no idea of what I'm capable of,'' she said.
Ms Brooks said Hannah was kind-hearted and had even felt sorry for Baxter after they broke up.
She said Baxter had Face-Timed the children and sobbed the entire time.
"She [Hannah] actually felt bad for him, not bad enough to give him back the kids, but she said 'I don't like seeing people hurting,''' Ms Brooks said.
Asked if Ms Brooks had been worried Baxter may have targeted her for helping Hannah separate from him, she said: "He had a less than average IQ in my opinion. I didn't think he was smart enough to get me.
"I didn't give him enough credit".
