New move in Robert John Crawford's mower murder case
Robert John Crawford, 46, is alleged to have murdered his wife Frances Crawford at the couple's Upper Lockyer property, west of Brisbane, on July 30, 2024.
Authorities found Ms Crawford's body at the base of a retaining wall, near a ride-on mower.
Under his strict bail conditions, Mr Crawford has been reporting to police daily and has not been able to go within 500m of international airport terminals or enter any airfield due to his status as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot.
An additional requirement is not to contact certain people named in a specific non-contact order; however, this was altered on Thursday with consent by the Crown and his legal team.
Mr Crawford is accused of strangling his wife in a 'murderous rage' after an argument between the pair the night before.
The Crown alleges he spent a 'significant' amount of time manipulating the property to make it look like Ms Crawford had died by misadventure while outside on a ride-on mower.
Mr Crawford is yet to enter a plea.
Mr Crawford, who has been on bail since May, was not required to attend Brisbane Supreme Court when his matter was briefly mentioned on Thursday morning.
The court was told a variation would be made to 'tidy up' a non-contact condition imposed as part of Mr Crawford's bail undertaking.
Three relatives of the RAAF pilot no longer wished to be included in the 'carve-out' – or exception – of the non-contact order.
Two other people identified as Crown witnesses indicated they were happy with the exceptions to the order.
Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said Mr Crawford would need to sign the new bail undertaking.
'I wonder if … (it) could be arranged over the registry to have it returned by the end of tomorrow,' he said.
Paris Reeves, representing Mr Crawford, said it would be possible, as her client was due to attend a conference with his legal counsel on Friday.
She said it could otherwise be signed at Toowoomba Police Station, where Mr Crawford was required to report daily.
Justice Sean Cooper directed the new undertaking be signed by 4pm on Friday, leaving the arrangements for Mr Crawford's lawyer.
A committal hearing, which will determine if the Crown case is strong enough for Mr Crawford to be committed to stand trial in a higher court, is set to go ahead in October.
A transcript of a triple-0 call, obtained from court documents filed as part of Mr Crawford's bail application, allegedly captures the air force pilot requesting an ambulance after finding his wife near the wall.
He allegedly tells the call taker: 'I don't know. I just found her. She's off the (wall) … like the mower's rolled and she's, I … I dunno what she's doing?'
The call taker clarifies if the mower had rolled on Ms Crawford, and Mr Crawford allegedly replies: 'Yeah … yeah … I'm just, I'm trying to … I had to pull it off and like … I think she's still OK … I think, but I need an ambulance ASAP.'
Paramedics found Ms Crawford at the base of the wall about 4am near a ride-on mower.
In messages allegedly exchanged between Mr Crawford and his wife, she asks at 11:21pm: 'Hey are you going to put the mower away soon?'
Mr Crawford is alleged to have replied at 11.25pm: 'Just give me a sec' before replying a minute later: 'You can just turn the sprinklers off if easier too xx.'
The last alleged text at 12.35pm reads: 'Hey I'm getting really sleepy.'
Police allege Mr Crawford's phone data showed 'significant' activity through the night, including thousands of steps allegedly recorded on his Garmin watch.
An autopsy concluded Ms Crawford died from neck and head injuries, but an expert biomechanical report prepared for the Crown alleged it was 'most improbable' that an accident with the ride-on mower resulted in the head injury at the top of the retaining wall and Ms Crawford's body coming to rest 1.8m from the wall.
But Mr Crawford's defence team has argued the report does not rule out a scenario where Ms Crawford was reversing the vehicle and fell, saying the conclusions are 'at best for the Crown, highly contestable'.
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