Robert John Crawford: RAAF pilot charged with murder of wife Frances Crawford in ride-on mower ‘accident’ granted bail

Robert John Crawford is charged with the murder of his wife, Frances Crawford, at their Upper Lockyer property in South East Queensland on July 30, 2024.

A committal hearing is scheduled to go ahead in October, but Mr Crawford, 47, attempted to apply for bail in the higher court following his arrest in October last year.

On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Frances Williams ultimately granted bail to Mr Crawford, who will be under a range of stringent conditions as his case continues through the courts.

Emergency services found the body of Ms Crawford, 49, at the base of the property’s retaining wall about 3.40am, near a ride-on mower.

Police allege Mr Crawford, an RAAF pilot, flew into a “murderous rage” and fatally strangled his wife before attempting to disguise the crime by placing her body under the mower to make it look like she died in a freak accident.

He is also charged with misconduct with a corpse, with police alleging in court documents that Mr Crawford moved his wife’s body “without lawful jurisdiction or excuse”.

On Friday, Justice Williams said it was uncontentious the offences were “very serious”.

She noted Mr Crawford was close to his family and wanted to reside at his property to ensure he could care for his ailing mother.

The court was told Mr Crawford had been suspended from the air force since November 2024.

He wanted to challenge his suspension to continue his career in an administrative capacity or was open to “primary production” or project management or tutoring, Justice Williams said.

“It is submitted on behalf of the applicant the Crown’s case is not strong and is highly contestable,” she said.

Mr Crawford was the first to phone triple-0 and inform authorities of what happened and had voluntarily given a statement to police, the court was told.

Justice Williams said Mr Crawford would likely spend a significant time in pre-sentence custody due to the complexity of any pending committal hearing and trial.

She said there were elements of the Crown’s evidence that appeared “contestable” and would be subject to legal arguments at further hearings.

A $250,000 surety for Mr Crawford’s release had been offered by his father.

“Further, the applicant deposes he would not put his parents’ financial security at risk,” Justice Williams said.

A range of bail conditions Mr Crawford’s legal team had proposed were read out by Justice Williams, including daily reporting to police, a curfew and handing over his passport.

He would also be prohibited from coming within 500m of international airport terminals and entering any airfield due to his status as a pilot.

Justice Williams ultimately granted bail, saying the range of conditions ameliorated any risk Mr Crawford could pose on bail.

During a prior bail hearing in April, Crown prosecutor Chris Cook described Mr Crawford as a “master manipulator” who would “go to great lengths to conceal his crime and escape punishment”.

The Crown opposed bail – arguing Mr Crawford was a flight risk and risked interfering with witnesses.

Mr Cook told the court Mr Crawford allegedly send messages to himself on his wife’s phone after the alleged murder, to make it seem like she had gone outside to move the mower before the “accident”.

The exchange – detailed to the court – included Mr Crawford reportedly texting: “Are you going to put the mower away soon?”

Ms Crawford allegedly replies: “Just give me a sec.”

Mr Cook also highlighted several inconsistencies, such as unwashed dishes and Ms Crawford’s rings being left on the kitchen counter, which he said indicated she was still in the middle of her nightly routine.

He argued it made little sense for her to have gone outside near midnight to move a lawnmower.

The court was also told that Crawford’s children, who are expected to be witnesses in the case, had a “bad relationship” with their father.

One witness reportedly described Crawford in a statement as “controlling” and “intimidating.”

Saul Holt KC, Mr Crawford’s lawyer, said the couple had previously discussed moving the mower due to the sprinklers on their property being scheduled to turn on.

Mr Holt described Ms Crawford’s death as a “tragic accident”.

He also cast doubt on forensic conclusions – noting that although a doctor found the cause of death leaned towards manual strangulation, they acknowledged the possibility of a mower accident could not be ruled out.