* Police Mistakes in Hannah Clarke Murders – New Evidence
Here’s a breakdown of the key points from the provided text, focusing on the allegations adn findings related to the examination of the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her children:
* The Core Complaint: A whistleblower filed a complaint with the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) alleging a conflict of interest in the investigation due to Detective Sergeant Harris’s prior involvement with hannah Clarke’s case.
* Harris’s Prior Involvement: Harris had previously dealt with Clarke’s reports of domestic and family violence.He initially classified the situation as a “custody dispute,” forwarding a referral to the Department of Child Safety as per procedure.
* Conflict of Interest Argument: The complaint argues Harris shouldn’t have been tasked with investigating the homicide because he was already involved in the service delivery related to Clarke’s case - essentially, investigating himself.
* Alleged Failures in Investigation: The whistleblower claims police failed to adequately scrutinize evidence of domestic violence and escalating risk posed by Rowan Baxter. They suggest police didn’t properly address ”errors, incompetence and/or or else embarrassing failures” in their response to Clarke’s reports.
* Poor Quality Brief of Evidence: An autonomous review found the police brief of evidence in the clarke investigation was of poor quality and lacked vital documents and reports.
* Victim Blaming Concerns: There were concerns about whether “victim blaming” attitudes persisted in the investigation after the initial lead investigator, Thompson, stepped down. Deputy Commissioner Harsley stated police “always” believed the victim.
* CCC’s Assessment: The CCC found that even if the allegations against Harris were proven, his conduct wouldn’t necessarily fall below the standard expected of a police officer.
In essence, the text details a complaint alleging a compromised investigation due to a potential conflict of interest and failures to properly address the history of domestic violence in the case. While an independent review highlighted issues with the investigation’s quality, the CCC didn’t find sufficient evidence to conclude Harris’s actions were misconduct.