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Realistic androids coming closer, as scientists teach a robot to share your laughter

<p>Do you ever laugh at an inappropriate moment?</p> <p>A team of Japanese researchers has taught a robot when to laugh in social situations, which is a major step towards creating an android that will be “like a friend.”</p> <p>“We think that one of the important functions of conversational AI is empathy,” says Dr Koji Inoue, an assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Informatics, and lead author on a paper describing the research, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.933261" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in <em>Frontiers in Robotics and AI</em>.</p> <p>“Conversation is, of course, multimodal, not just responding correctly. So we decided that one way a robot can empathize with users is to share their laughter, which you cannot do with a text-based chatbot.”</p> <p>The researchers trained an AI with data from 80 speed dating dialogues, from a matchmaking marathon with Kyoto University students. (Imagine meeting a future partner at exercise designed to teach a robot to laugh…)</p> <p>“Our biggest challenge in this work was identifying the actual cases of shared laughter, which isn’t easy, because as you know, most laughter is actually not shared at all,” says Inoue.</p> <p>“We had to carefully categorise exactly which laughs we could use for our analysis and not just assume that any laugh can be responded to.”</p> <p>They then added this system to a hyper-realistic android named <a href="https://robots.ieee.org/robots/erica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Erica</a>, and tested the robot on 132 volunteers.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p214084-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/technology/robot-laugh/#wpcf7-f6-p214084-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>Participants listened to one of three different types of dialogue with Erica: one where she was using the shared laughter system, one where she didn’t laugh at all, and one where she always laughed whenever she heard someone else do it.</p> <p>They then gave the interaction scores for empathy, naturalness, similarity to humans, and understanding.</p> <p>The researchers found that the shared-laughter system scored higher than either baseline.</p> <p>While they’re pleased with this result, the researchers say that their system is still quite rudimentary: they need to categorise and examine lots of other types of laughter before Erica’s chuckling naturally.</p> <p>“There are many other laughing functions and types which need to be considered, and this is not an easy task. We haven’t even attempted to model unshared laughs even though they are the most common,” says Inoue.</p> <p>Plus, it doesn’t matter how realistic a robot’s laugh is if the rest of its conversation is unnatural.</p> <p>“Robots should actually have a distinct character, and we think that they can show this through their conversational behaviours, such as laughing, eye gaze, gestures and speaking style,” says Inoue.</p> <p>“We do not think this is an easy problem at all, and it may well take more than 10 to 20 years before we can finally have a casual chat with a robot like we would with a friend.”</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=214084&amp;title=Realistic+androids+coming+closer%2C+as+scientists+teach+a+robot+to+share+your+laughter" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/robot-laugh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ellen-phiddian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellen Phiddian</a>. Ellen Phiddian is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a BSc (Honours) in chemistry and science communication, and an MSc in science communication, both from the Australian National University.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

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"Final act of cowardice" by Hannah Clarke’s ex-husband

<p dir="ltr"><em>Content warning: This article contains distressing content and descriptions of domestic violence.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">A coroner has recommended widespread changes to domestic violence training and support in Australia while delivering her findings on the deaths of Hannah Clarke and her children at the hands of her ex-husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley became emotional while delivering her findings, detailing the final moments of the young family during Rowan Baxter’s “final act of cowardice”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Clarke and her children, six-year-old Aaliyah, four-year-old Laianah, and three-year-old Trey, died after Baxter, her ex-husband, ambushed the family on their way to school in February, 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">After dousing their car in petrol, neighbours watched on in horror as he set the vehicle alight.</p> <p dir="ltr">In Bentley’s findings, published on Wednesday, it was revealed that Clarke died from multi-organ failure as a result of the fire.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bentley said the three children died at 8.25am on February 19 from the effects of the fire, while Baxter died from a self-inflicted stab wound.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The children died almost immediately from the inhalation of fumes and burns," Bentley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Hannah had received full-thickness, non-survivable burns."</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite suffering severe injuries, Bentley said Clarke showed “astounding bravery” and was able to describe what Baxter had done to nearby witnesses.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her findings come three months after the long-awaited coronial inquest into the deaths began.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the inquest, the court was told of how Baxter displayed controlling and abusive behaviour towards Clarke, including controlled what she wore and who she could see, demanding sex every night, and berating her body image.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court was told that Baxter abducted Laianah on Boxing Day 2019, taking her to northern NSW before returning her several days later.</p> <p dir="ltr">In another incident, Baxter assaulted Clarke after she confronted him about why he had explicit photos of her in his car - which was evidence he hoped to use in court.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bentley said she found it unlikely that police, service providers or family could have stopped Baxter from carrying out his “murderous” plans, describing him as a “master of manipulation”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"After Hannah left him and he realised he could no longer control her, he began to rally support from friends he had not seen for years and professionals he considered could advance his cause,” Bentley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">She described him killing himself as a “final act of cowardice” since he was unable to live with the public denunciation and punishment he would be subject to.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The truth is Hannah, who knew him best, was initially in favour of him having contact with the children … but she perceived he was becoming more dangerous," Bentley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Her fears were genuine and realistic and ultimately confirmed in the worst way."</p> <p dir="ltr">The coroner said there were missed opportunities to keep Baxter accountable, including their response to his breaching of the domestic violence order.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard that training of police officers, particularly frontline officers, around domestic violence was insufficient, and that there was a “significant lack of counselling programmes and support” for perpetrators in Queensland.</p> <p dir="ltr">"However, in this case, I am satisfied that even had it been available, Baxter was not interested in engaging in such programmes unless it furthered his cause … [of] Hannah agreeing to his wishes," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bentley made four recommendations, including that the Queensland government fund the police to provide "five-day face-to-face domestic violence training programme for all specialist domestic violence police officers", and mandatory face-to-face training for all police officers.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My final recommendation is that the Queensland government provide funding for men's behaviour change programmes both in prisons and in the community as a matter of urgency," Bentley said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I offer my most sincere condolences to Mr and Mrs Clarke, other family members and friends and family of their children."</p> <p dir="ltr">Outside court, Hannah’s parents Sue and Lloyd Clarke said they were pleased with the findings.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We expected most of the results," Clarke told reporters.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We need to see everything that's been recommended implemented in every state."</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>If you are in need of support or are a victim of domestic violence, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the national family violence counselling service on 1800 737 732.</em></strong></p> <p><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-d0e10153-7fff-5753-895b-89513ece704c"></span></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Video shows Rowan Baxter purchasing killing tools

<p dir="ltr">A video showing Rowan Baxter purchasing the tools he would use to kill Hannah Clarke and their three children has played in court.</p> <p dir="ltr">CCTV showed Baxter at a local Brisbane Bunnings store buying zip ties, cleaning fluid and fuel at about 6 pm on February 17, 2020, just two days before the horrific murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wearing a black singlet and shorts, Baxter also appeared to wander around before paying for the items.</p> <p dir="ltr">Later that afternoon, Baxter called a men’s support helpline where he said he was the victim.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My wife, to be honest, it's almost like a game to put her in a better position for family court," he was heard saying, <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/inquest-into-hannah-clarkes-death-tracks-killers-movements-in-days-before-murder-brisbane-queensland/d882dce1-d321-4cd6-9791-0f37d4892e91" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm not the one who has the problem. I'm just doing what I'm told.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I never even thought my wife was capable of doing anything like this."</p> <p dir="ltr">On 19 February, 2020, before Baxter set alight to the family car with Ms Clarke and their three children - Aaliyah, Laianah, and Trey - he was seen at a Caltex petrol station purchasing 4.6L of fuel and three Kinder Surprises.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Clarke was taking her three children to school when Baxter doused them with fuel.</p> <p dir="ltr">The three children died at the scene while Ms Clarke was taken to hospital. Baxter later stabbed himself with a knife and died.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Clarke suffered burns to 97 per cent of her body and, despite her injuries, was able to give police three statements about what happened.</p> <p dir="ltr">The inquest continues.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: CCTV footage</em></p>

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Fergie defends Princess Eugenie’s husband over topless model shots

<p><span>A model has issued a frank apology to Princess Eugenie after a photograph of her topless on a boat with Jack Brooksbank was shared online.</span><br /><br /><span>Photos were quick to pop up on the Daily Mail over the weekend, which showed Eugenie’s husband, Jack, aboard a Yacht in the Italian city of Capri.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFqQBoFriE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFqQBoFriE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by People en Español (@peopleenespanol)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>He was surrounded by Erica Pelosini, Rachel Zalis and Maria Buccellati.</span><br /><br /><span>Now, Erica has apologised to the British Royal, who was at home in England, looking after her five-month-old son, August.</span><br /><br /><span>"I usually never go topless, but my bikini got wet and I decided to take it off. I know it does not look right for Jack and his family,” she told the Daily Mail.</span></p> <p><br /><span>“It led people to make improper suggestions and jump to conclusions and it's very hurtful that people are thinking this.</span><br /><br /><span>“I'm very sorry if I caused any embarrassment to Princess Eugenie and Jack. It wasn't appropriate for me to be topless.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFouanpIZx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFouanpIZx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Erica Pelosini Leeman (@ericapelosini)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>Erica wanted to clarify that she and Jack are friends as well as work colleagues.</span><br /><br /><span>She added they were on the boat as she was taking the group to her favourite restaurant in Italy.</span><br /><br /><span>On the way back to their hotels, they were hot so decided to cool off in the water.</span><br /><br /><span>She went on to say Jack talked about missing his wife and their son, August, throughout the whole trip.</span><br /><br /><span>Jack was in Italy to attend the Unicef Summer Gala, as a brand ambassador for Tequila brand Casamigos.</span><br /><br /><span>The company was founded by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Michael Meldman.</span><br /><br /><span>Fergie has since spoken out in defence of her son-in-law.</span><br /><br /><span>While talking about the photos on BBC One’s The One Show, she said he was only “doing his job”.</span><br /><br /><span>"Jack, who was on the front page, is a man of such integrity.</span><br /><br /><span>“He’s just one of my most favorite people, I call him James Bond actually."</span><br /><br /><span>"He’s just a superhero in my book, and he’s a great father, a fabulous husband, and he’s never at front of house, he always likes to be at the back.</span><br /><br /><span>“So for them to make this story is completely fabricated, he works as an ambassador for Casamigos, and he was on doing his job, and so I think it’s really important that we clarify that for Jack‘s sake."</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFPhKkFU2s/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFPhKkFU2s/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Royals UK (@royalsjetset)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>Jack and Eugenie married in October 2018 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.</span><br /><br /><span>The pair would go on to welcome their son on February 9th, 2021 at London’s Portland Hospital.</span></p>

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Friend reveals killer dad Rowan Baxter plotted to kill other family members

<p>The man who killed his estranged wife and their three children in a car fire planned on murdering other people, his wife’s friend said.</p> <p>Rowan Baxter ambushed Hannah Clarke and their children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4 and Trey, 3, on their school run before dousing the four in petrol and setting them alight in a car in Brisbane’s suburb of Camp Hill last week.</p> <p>Baxter later died from self-inflicted wounds.</p> <p>Speaking to <em><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/rowan-baxter-hannah-clarkes-killer-had-planned-to-murder-expartner-and-son/news-story/da79c7251c769c172289187793bcd76d">The Australian</a></em>, Clarke’s friend Nikki Brooks said Baxter had told Clarke how he had planned to kill his ex-partner and their son Isaiah years earlier.</p> <p>“Hannah had told me that he had a rope and something in his car,” Brooks said.</p> <p>“He’d driven to do it. He’d prepared what he needed to kill Isaiah and [Isaiah’s mother] and then didn’t do it. Isaiah would have been maybe seven or eight. It was the first time she was going to leave him as well.”</p> <p>Brooks said Baxter told Clarke he had almost killed another person in a separate incident, resulting in a conviction for grievous bodily harm.</p> <p>“Hannah just knew there was a road rage incident – he lost his mind and nearly beat someone to death,” she said.</p> <p>“He would make it out to be someone else’s fault, of course – someone did something and he acted the way he did because he had a baby in the car.”</p> <p>Brooks gave a statement to Queensland police a week before Clarke’s death.</p> <p>“I was giving an affidavit to the police to support Hannah’s claim that he’d breached a Domestic Violence Order,” she told <em><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/camp-hill-car-fire-hannah-clarkes-best-friend-predicts-tragedy/9f5a1aaf-578a-46d4-8122-f1c1c122fef7">A Current Affair</a></em>.</p> <p>Brooks said when Clarke “knew she’d made the right decision” when she left Baxter late last year.</p> <p>“The day she came back she stayed with me and we felt safe. He didn’t know where I lived,” Brooks said.</p> <p>“It was the happiest afternoon and night of our lives … She just looked relieved and she just seemed really happy. She knew she’d made the right decision.”</p> <p>The Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust is now assisting Clarke’s family to set up a charity named ‘Small Steps 4 Hannah’, which aims to raise awareness of domestic violence and help save lives.</p>

Legal

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"I could be next": Abused women fearful of Rowan Baxter copycats

<p>Hannah Clarke’s brother has opened up about the horror he had faced after hearing the traumatic way his sister and her children were murdered, while a women’s legal service reveals there has been an increase in calls from women saying their partners have threatened to kill them the same way.</p> <p>Ms Clarke and her three children were brutally killed in Brisbane last week after her estranged husband, Rowan Baxter, doused them in petrol and set them alight.</p> <p>Speaking to<span> </span><em>7.30</em>, her brother, Nathaniel Clarke, said the things that “cut me the deepest” is that Baxter made them suffer.</p> <p>“It wasn’t quick. It was planned and executed,” said Mr Clarke.</p> <p>“He had a plan that night when he called the kids and he was a blubbering mess. He knew what he was doing then. He had it all planned out, he knew what he was doing the following morning.</p> <p>“He couldn’t even do it quick. That’s the worst thing. He made them suffer, and her.”</p> <p>Angela Lynch, CEO of Women’s Legal Service Queensland, said the service had been inundated with calls since the incident.</p> <p>“We’ve had clients and women saying that their perpetrators and their partner is saying they’re going to do what he did to them. They are fearful and something inside them has said, ‘I could be next’,” said Ms Lynch.</p> <p>Mr Clarke said the day his sister was killed was “the worst day of my life”.</p> <p>“I was out in the paddock working, and the bloke I work with called me in and said, ‘Look, you’ve got to take this, it’s personal,” said Mr Clarke.</p> <p>“I took it and my wife couldn’t get the words out. I got: ‘You need to come home’, and then silence. And my heart broke. I didn’t know if it was my kids, I didn’t know what was going on.</p> <p>“And then the next thing she said is: ‘He killed them all’.”</p> <p>Mr Clarke then called his father who had told him that his sister was in intensive care.</p> <p>“I didn’t know the magnitude of what had happened,” said Mr Clarke.</p> <p>“It had been explained on the phone what sort of had happened, but I didn’t know the whole nation had already stopped.”</p> <p>Mr Clarke said looking back, there weren’t many signs over the years that Baxter was a toxic individual.</p> <p>“He seemed at the start like a good bloke,” said Mr Clarke.</p> <p>“There were a few things but you didn’t see, obviously, what we’ve seen now. You couldn’t have seen that from the start.”</p> <p>He said one of the “small things” was that he and his sister suddenly started having less contact.</p> <p>“You think something’s wrong but you can’t put your finger on it,” said Mr Clarke.</p> <p>“You just sort of think, ‘Oh, it’s just family problems between you and your sister’ … but to look back, in a big picture over a timeline, you can now see triggers, I suppose, of, ‘OK, this makes a lot more sense now on what he was trying to do’.”</p> <p>Mr Clarke said his brother-in-law’s controlling nature was more obvious in the last two or three years.</p> <p>"He was the type of person that had to win everything, had to be the best at everything, really didn't like when he wasn't," he said.</p> <p>"He had to control every moment he was in.</p> <p>"To be one of those people, it does make you selfish, and that was it. It was all about him."</p> <p>Mr Clarke said he never imagined that Baxter was capable of carrying out such a brutal attack.</p> <p>"Hannah had her suspicions that he might try to do something to her, but we all thought, 'No, he couldn't'.</p> <p>"It was just a vicious attack to make her suffer as long as he could. And that was it. It was just — I still can't get over it."</p>

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Rowan Baxter’s family speaks after vicious murders: “Everyone else, they’re shocked – I’m not”

<p>The cousin of family killer Rowan Baxter has spoken out about her family, saying he was an “angry child” while growing up together.</p> <p>Alana Hampson told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/crime/there-was-a-lot-of-violence-rowan-baxters-relatives-speak-out-about-killer-dads-upbringing/news-story/f54961c4792b002951ab055b067135a1" target="_blank"><em>news.com.au</em></a> that while she was estranged from her older cousin Rowan, she lived with him and his brother Charles as a teenager while going through foster care.</p> <p>“He was an angry kid,” the 38-year-old admitted.</p> <p>“There was a bit of cruelty there sometimes, little hints throughout his life. He would yell at you to get out of his room or swear at you. Rowan was like that real abrupt kid. Just one of those rough tumbling boys with attitude.”</p> <p>42-year-old NRL Player Rowan Baxter burned his estranged wife Hannah Clarke and their three children to death last week in their family SUV before stabbing himself and dying.</p> <p>In a 2004 newspaper interview, Rowan told reporters he had quit rugby union to join the Mt Albert Lions rugby league club after being repeatedly overlooked for selection by the Bay of Plenty Steamers.</p> <p>“Word got back to me they (Bay of Plenty) thought I had anger problems,” Baxter told The Daily Post.</p> <p>The 42-year-old was reportedly involved in two vicious brawls while playing club rugby for Te Puke in 2002 and 2003.</p> <p>“That’s the way I play, I don’t regret it, that’s who I am,” Baxter said.</p> <p>Ms Hampson’s mother, Dorothy Ann Baxter, is the sister of Rowan’s father, Charlie — one of nine brothers and sisters in the clan from New Zealand’s Tauranga region.</p> <p>“I haven’t been around my family most of my life — I hate my family,” Ms Hampson told</p> <p><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/crime/there-was-a-lot-of-violence-rowan-baxters-relatives-speak-out-about-killer-dads-upbringing/news-story/f54961c4792b002951ab055b067135a1" target="_blank">news.com.au.</a></p> <p>“(He was) f***ed in the head. There was a lot of violence. The Baxters had a hard life. (One of my other cousins), his younger baby died. The baby coffin was put in the car and he did doughnuts.”</p> <p>Ms Hampson said that while she herself hasn’t had “clean life”, her cousin’s acts are unforgiveable.</p> <p>“I haven’t had a clean life myself but for someone to do that … I can’t believe anyone would do that. Someone told me you’ve got to forgive — you can’t forgive that,” she said.</p> <p>While she last saw Rowan “a long time ago”, she says the horrific murders have left the family shell-shocked. “It’s affected all my aunties, they’re speechless,” she said.</p> <p>Heart-stricken Dorothy Ann Baxter described Rowan as “a good boy” who “lost the plot”. Ms Baxter confirmed she hadn’t seen Rowan since he moved to Australia.</p> <p>“He was always a good boy. I can’t understand,” she said.</p> <p>“He’s lost the plot. I don’t know. He couldn’t handle it then one day he just lost it. It’s not good. But I know he wouldn’t do it out of his own mind so he had to be … lost it, just lost the plot. Some of us do. I’m not saying Rowan was good for what he did but people do lose the plot.”</p> <p>Ms Baxter spoke of funeral arrangements for Rowan, saying: “Of course there’s going to be a funeral</p> <p>“They’ve got to get him back here first, the cops have still got him haven’t they?”</p> <p>She added, “We’re going to say goodbye to him. He’s going to be put with his mother. I’m just glad my mum wasn’t here because it would have killed her.”</p> <p>But Ms Hampson says she is “definitely not going to the funeral”. </p> <p>“I can’t bring myself to see that,” she said.</p> <p>“It’s a bit hard to swallow. He can rot in hell for what he did to those kids.”</p>

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James Packer “begs” ex-wife to take him back

<div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Days after he <a href="/health/mind/2018/03/billionaire-james-packer-steps-down-due-to-mental-health-issues/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">stepped down as director of Crown Resorts</span></strong></a> due to mental health issues, James Packer has checked into rehab and is reportedly “desperate” to reunite with his second ex-wife, Erica Baxter.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/special-features/in-depth/james-packer-illness-billionaire-reaches-out-for-exwife-erica-for-support-in-troubled-times/news-story/b1195a2ab645d907dab74f65f7435405" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Daily Telegraph</span></em></strong></a>, the billionaire businessman has “begged” the mother of his children to take him back.</p> <p>However, friends of the pair say Baxter isn’t looking to reconcile, explaining the former couple’s three children are her number one priority.</p> <p>“Turning back the clock five years might be what James wants but it won’t help Erica,” the friend told the <em>Daily Telegraph</em>. “She has finally got her life together and has created a stable life in Los Angeles for her kids.</p> <p>“She doesn’t want to undo the good work she’s done with James repairing the relationship. As platonic friends they are good parents and his children get to see James at his best.”</p> <p>Packer has reportedly checked into one of the most exclusive psychiatric facilities in the US, McLean Hospital in Belmont, California. His 80-year-old mother Roslyn was seen flying out of Sydney Airport last week to be by her son’s side.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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