Rowan Baxter ‘turned down joint custody’ of kids before killing them in car fire

Rugby fiend Rowan Baxter turned down an offer to share custody of his kids with wife Hannah Clarke before killing them all in a horror car fire.

Twisted Baxter killed Hannah and kids Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3, after pouring petrol on the family car in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia.

The ex-rugby player then fatally stabbed himself in the chest as bystanders tried to save his children.

His young kids were still strapped into their car seats when their bodies were recovered from the burned-out wreck.

A source close to Baxter told Australian broadcaster ABC that the sea would have given him up to four days of custody per week if he accepted.

They said: 'He got the children back but… he wanted 50-50, that was it. It was his way or nothing.

“In my view, it wasn't about the children at all, he just couldn't move past the relationship with Hannah.”

The revelation comes after Hannah’s friends and family revealed the horrific campaign of abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband.

They claim 42-year-old fitness coach was a prolific abuser who had repeatedly subjected his wife to violence.

Hannah’s domestic violence worker pal Manja Whaley told how Hannah confided in her about her husband’s controlling nature.

Manja told Today: “There was the checking of her accounts on Facebook, the accusations of her cheating.

“She would get dressed and she would be picking up her clothes and he would say things to her like, ‘Look at your stomach, that’s just disgusting’.

“And some of the things that she would explain was this excessive control, the sexual abuse daily, and if she wasn’t to have sex with him, he would punish not only her but also the children.

“She wouldn’t be allowed to go to the gym which was not only her passion but her outlet.

“The children wouldn’t be allowed to go to the beach on a Sunday and that’s something they did every Sunday as a family.”

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