Scot accused of murdering wife joked he would ‘kill her and move to Thailand'
'KILLING' QUIP Scot accused of murdering wife joked he would 'kill her and move to Thailand'
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A SCOT accused of murdering his wife while kayaking joked to a friend that he would 'kill her and move to Thailand' if she left him and took half of his pension, a court has heard.
Graeme Davidson, 56, was charged over the 2020 death of Jacqueline Davidson in May after arriving back in Australia from Thailand.
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Ex-Army captain Graeme Davidson is accused of murdering his wife Jacqueline in November 2020
The ex-Army major had moved there several months after his 54-year-old wife drowned, and later married a Thai resident.
Mrs Davidson's death at Lake Samsonvale, north of Brisbane, was initially considered to be an accidental drowning but was later deemed by detectives to be suspicious.
Davidson, originally of Glasgow, was also charged with fraud and attempted fraud, in relation to insurance claims he made totalling more than £500,000.
He is making a bid for his release on bail in Brisbane's Supreme Court.
Defence lawyer Craig Eberhardt told the court the Crown's case against his client was "fundamentally weak".
He also insisted the case against Davidson may be "non-existent," at worst and "arguable" at best.
The court heard claims that the only piece of evidence the prosecution could refer to in its case was the statement of one of Mr Davidson's friends, relating to an alleged conversation in mid-July 2017.
Mr Eberhardt said they were talking about another friend, whose wife had left him on the day of his retirement, took half of his pension and one of the parties moved to Thailand.
The court heard the statement alleges Mr Davidson replied and said, "oh sh*t yeah, I'd kill her and move to Thailand too," but his lawyer said it was nothing but a "quip".
Mr Eberhardt said when put in context, the statement is "not nearly as sinister as it sounds" and said police were told of this conversation eight years after it is said to have occurred.
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He added: "And so, one wonders if firstly, if that is reliable, secondly, if it's even admissible."
Mr Eberhardt argued there was no evidence to suggest Mrs Davidson had told her husband she intended to leave him or take half of his pension.
But the court heard some witnesses told police she had raised the idea of separating with him, after she learned her husband had an affair with a local woman during an army posting in Papua New Guinea, which caused "significant matrimonial upset".
However, Mr Eberhardt said Mrs Davidson later told friends that she wanted to stay to try and make the marriage work.
The Supreme Court was told Davidson did move to Thailand after his wife's death, and remarried in 2022, but was in "constant communication with the coroner's office and police," and came back to Australia twice between when he left, and when he was arrested.
The defence will continue its submissions next week where prosecutors are expected to oppose Davidson's application for bail.
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