A jury in the murder trial of former RAAF pilot Robert Crawford has been shown police bodycam footage recorded after his wife, Frances Crawford, was found dead at their remote Upper Lockyer property.
Mr Crawford, who has pleaded not guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court, told police on 30 July 2024 that the 49-year-old psychologist had died in what he described as a lawnmower accident during the night.
In the footage, Mr Crawford is heard saying: “She was just here, she was literally just here,” as officers investigated the scene at the bottom of a retaining wall.
He sobbed and sniffled while recounting the previous evening to police. He said the couple had eaten dinner at about 6.30pm and played games before he left his wife watching television.
Mr Crawford told officers he last saw Ms Crawford before going to bed at about 11.30pm or midnight, and said he had not heard the mower start.
The court heard the footage was recorded on the morning Ms Crawford was declared dead. Queensland Police Sergeant Glen Thomas found wedding rings on the kitchen counter and confirmed with Mr Crawford that they belonged to his wife.
For several minutes, Mr Crawford sat with his head slumped on a table while Sergeant Thomas looked through a police tablet. He then asked: “How do I tell the kids?”
The jury has previously heard that the couple had argued during a holiday in Kingscliff over Mr Crawford’s sexual and emotional infidelity.
During the trial, Mr Crawford admitted having sex with women and emotionally cheating on his wife over two decades, including with RAAF colleagues.
Speaking about the couple’s holiday in the bodycam footage, he described their time together as “really special”.
“It’s kind of two steps forward, one step back,” he told police. “Sometimes she is in grumpy moods but, I don’t know, it felt like we were making headway.”
Ms Crawford’s two youngest children told the jury last week that they had not supported their parents’ reconciliation after their father’s betrayal.
