Former RAAF Pilot Accused of Brutal Murder of Wife Claims Innocence as He’s Committed to Stand Trial
- Robert John Crawford, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot, has been accused of murdering his wife Frances and staging her death to look like a lawnmower accident.
- Crawford has maintained his innocence, pleading “not guilty” in court, but a committal hearing has found there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.
- The prosecution alleges Crawford strangled his wife in a “murderous rage” before manipulating her body to make it appear like an accident.
Robert John Crawford, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot, has been committed to stand trial for the alleged murder of his wife Frances, who was found dead at their rural property in Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane, last year.
Crawford, 43, has maintained his innocence, pleading “not guilty” in court, but a committal hearing has found there is enough evidence for him to stand trial. The prosecution alleges Crawford strangled his wife in a “murderous rage” before manipulating her body to make it appear like an accident.
Frances Crawford, a Toowoomba psychologist, was found dead at the bottom of a retaining wall near a ride-on lawnmower at their property in the early hours of July 30 last year. Emergency services were called to the scene just before 4am, and Crawford was arrested soon after.
In a bail application in April, the prosecution alleged that Crawford had manually activated his phone and the encrypted messaging app Signal around the time of his wife’s death. The court heard that forensic analysis showed the phone was accessed multiple times between midnight and 4am.
“We had a very obvious unnatural death and were unable to determine the cause of death and it needed further investigation,” Detective Sergeant Timothy Robert told the court.
The court also heard from forensic pathologist Dr Andrezej Kedziora, who examined Ms Crawford’s injuries to try and determine how she died. One possible scenario alleged that Crawford strangled his wife, possibly with a headlock, and her injuries could suggest she had grasped at him to get him to stop.
Dr Kedziora told the court he also examined if a lawnmower accident could have led to Ms Crawford’s injuries, including a laceration to the back of her head, and injuries to her neck, ribs, and lower limb. He said while the scenario was possible, he could not determine the probability of it compared to others explored.
The case will now proceed to the Supreme Court in Brisbane for trial. Crawford remains on bail and is no longer employed by the Australian Defence Department.
A school friend of Frances Crawford watched on from the public gallery as Crawford was committed to stand trial, along with a strong contingent of media.
The community remains shocked and outraged by the allegations, with many expressing their condolences to the family and friends of Frances Crawford.