Upper Lockyer, QLD – A Queensland father is standing trial after being blamed for killing his wife and then trying to make it look like a ride on mower fell on her. Acting magistrate Sue Ganasan said there is enough proof for a murder charge and a charge of interfering with a corpse.
At 03.45 am, 15 July 2024, emergency crews got a call from Robert John Crawford (47). He said he saw his wife Frances Elizabeth Crawford lying at the bottom of a retaining wall, supposedly smashed by a 237 kg ride on mower. “I found my wife at the bottom of the wall and the mower had dropped on her,” Crawford told the police, adding that she was trying to move the mower away from sprinklers.
Detective Sergeant Timothy John Roberts later said he was at the scene that same day. “Crawlow said he was alone but also said he spent time sleeping. I can’t say if two people were there,” he explained, noting that police had already called it a homicide even though Robert was the one who called them. Three months later, Crawford walked into Ipswich Magistrates Court and said he was not guilty. “Not guilty, Your Honour,” he said to Ms Ganasan when asked what he thought of the charges.
What the Prosecution Says
The Crown lawyers claim Crawford strangled Frances in a bathroom, then moved her body outside and tried to make it look like a mower accident. They point to 15 cuts on her throat, a bruise on her chin and broken thyroid and hyoid bones – injuries they say fit with manual strangulation.
They also showed phone data that the mobile phone kept turning on after midnight, a time when Frances was probably already dead. The defence argued that the data could be wrong, saying Crawford was asleep then.
Defence Side
Crawford’s lawyer, Saul Holt KC, called the case “extraordinarily weak.” He cross examined four witnesses, including a forensic pathologist and a biomechanics expert. Holt said the injuries could also happen if the mower’s steering wheel squeezed Frances’s neck.
Dr Andrzej Kedziora, expert witness and forensic pathologist, said the neck cuts could point to strangulation, but also “could be caused by anything that grazes the skin.” He added that a “very conspicuous abrasion or graze under the chin … maybe some part of the mower, like the steering wheel, could have caused this.”
Kedziora also said, without a detailed reconstruction of the scene, he cannot rule out a mower accident. Rib fractures, “could easily be from falling on ground or hitting the retaining wall,”he said.
Dr Kedziora said it was “impossible” to determine how much blood had gone into the ground – when he saw two areas of blood staining on the grass.
“I’m not able to determine the amount of blood lost; even if the body falls from a height, the rib fractures could easily be sustained from falling on the ground or colliding with the retaining wall.”
Under cross examination, Dr Kedziora agreed the injuries could potentially be explained by someone accidentally reversing a ride-on mower off a retaining wall at night. Defence barrister Saul Holt KC suggested it could also have been caused by the weight of the lawnmower, to which Dr Kedziora agreed.
“There was a very conspicuous abrasion or graze under the chin … in this scenario, possibly some part of the lawnmower, like the steering wheel, could have caused this,” he said.
“Likely, if there was rubbing, or multiple instances of rubbing or scraping.”
Dr Kedziora said it was possible other abrasions were caused by Ms Crawford trying to free herself from under the mower, or that she was allegedly strangled or placed in a headlock.
“They can be caused by anything that grazes the skin,” he said.
“Without scene reconstruction, looking at the body and lawnmower parts, I am unable to rule it in or out.
“I find it a bit unusual, or atypical, but don’t rule it out.”
Dr Kedziora claimed the amount of neck and head injuries made him want to “correlate” what occurred, but could not do it without examining the structure of the lawnmower as well as the scene of the Mrs. Crawford’s death.
Expert Witnesses Named in this Case
• Forensic Pathologist: Dr. Andrzej (or Andrej) Kedziora testified about the injuries of Frances Elizabeth Crawford. Among other things, he gave evidence that neck abrasions could suggest manual strangulation, and discussed possible causes including a headlock vs. a mower-accident scenario.
• Professor David Ackland also gave expert evidence, particularly about fractures (thyroid and hyoid bone) that are typically consistent with strangulation or hanging.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_pathology
https://witnessdirectory.com/signup.php
