‘Early concern’ that lawnmower crash death was staged
Rex Martinich |
Police held a “very early concern” that a woman’s death in an apparent lawnmower crash was staged to conceal an alleged murder, a jury has heard.
Robert John Crawford is accused of murdering his wife Frances by strangulation at the couple’s property west of Brisbane in the early hours of July 30, 2024.
Crawford, 49, faced losing the couple’s $2 million bush block house and his RAAF senior pilot’s superannuation in a marriage separation brought on by his serial infidelities, prosecutors claimed.
He pleaded not guilty to murder at his Brisbane Supreme Court trial which began in October.
Crawford’s defence claimed his wife died from crushing injuries or traumatic asphyxia from being caught under the lawnmower’s steering wheel while moving the vehicle away from automated lawn sprinklers.
Senior Sergeant Stephen Coote, from Queensland Police’s forensic crash unit, testified on Tuesday that he had tested the mower multiple times, including on the morning Ms Crawford died.
“Was there a very early concern that the crash was staged for homicide?” defence barrister Saul Holt asked.
“There were suspicions. I got a 4:37am call,” Snr Sgt Coote said.
Ms Crawford’s body was found by paramedics at the bottom of a retaining wall near an overturned ride-on lawnmower after her husband called triple zero at 3:38am and attempted CPR on his wife.
The 49-year-old psychologist and mother-of-three was declared dead at the scene.
Police formed the opinion the lawnmower was reversing with its headlights off when it went over the retaining wall, the jury heard.
“It was moving backward … there were scrape marks on underside of the mower’s cutting deck and damage to a support strut at the rear of the mower,” Snr Sgt Coote said.
“The reverse was very slow.”
The mower was later tested in a Toowoomba towing company’s shed on two occasions in September, the jury heard.
The ride-on had been found at the property on a setting in which it would have started and run the engine without headlights being activated, the jury heard
The jury were shown photos of the mower overturned on a concrete floor with its steering wheel unable to touch the ground.
“The steering wheel was plastic and coated with rubber. It was not deformed in any way,” Snr Sgt Coote said.
Snr Sgt Coote agreed with Crown prosecutor Chris Cook that the mower’s top speed in reverse was found to be just under four km/h in police tests.
Mr Cook asked if there was a safety switch under the mower’s seat.
“It cannot be operated without weight on the seat but there was some issue with the connection,” Snr Sgt Coote said.
“The switch was not always working.”
The trial continues.
AAP