Police body-worn camera footage shown at the Robert Crawford trial has captured the accused pilot crying at his kitchen table and asking where his wife’s body would be taken after she was found dead at their Queensland home.
Crawford, 49, is accused of murdering Frances at the couple’s rural property in Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane, in the early hours of July 30, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty.
Footage shown in the Robert Crawford trial
In the footage, Crawford can be heard asking: “Where will they put her?” Sergeant Glen Thomas told him Frances would be taken to Brisbane for an examination to establish how she had died.
Crawford replied that his wife would not want an autopsy. Sergeant Thomas said he could make arrangements for the funeral once Frances had been released.
Crawford repeatedly covered his face and at one point rested his head on the kitchen table for several minutes. He was wrapped in a blanket and was later given another before changing into warmer clothing.
He told police he had been “literally just talking to” Frances earlier in the evening. The couple had eaten dinner and played games, he said, while he had also taken work calls.
Crawford told officers his back was hurting. Police saw wedding rings in the kitchen and Frances’s dressing gown on a bench, the court heard.
He said the ride-on mower found near Frances was the one they used around the property because it had a grass catcher attached. When asked whether he had heard it start, Crawford said he had not.
Discussing the sprinklers, he told police: “Frances, like, she doesn’t want the mower to get wet.” He then sobbed and said: “Why couldn’t she just wait?”
Crawford said he had believed Frances might have fallen asleep while watching television. He told Sergeant Thomas: “I was just looking for her and just calling out, and I couldn’t see her.”
The court heard Sergeant Thomas did not notice a timer operating on the sprinkler control box while he was at the property. During questioning by the defence, he confirmed he became aware that Crawford had showered, but said this happened after police had questioned and examined him.
The jury previously heard a 3.37am emergency call in which Crawford said he had “no idea” how long Frances, who was “so cold”, had been outside unconscious. He also said he thought she had been watching Netflix.
The prosecution has alleged Crawford killed Frances to avoid losing millions of dollars in a divorce. Crown prosecutor Chris Cook described him as a man who had several affairs, including with three Royal Australian Air Force colleagues, and told the court he loved money so much “that he killed for it”.
Crawford’s barrister, Saul Holt KC, has argued that Frances’s death was a tragic accident and that ride-on mower rollovers were not uncommon. The trial, before Justice Lincoln Crowley, is continuing, with the jury expected to visit the property later this week.
