Robert Crawford bail breach two months after release over wife Frances Crawford’s death

An air force pilot accused of murdering his wife and making it look like an accident has breached his bail conditions less than two months after being released from prison.

Robert Crawford (right) has breached his bail conditions after being released from prison.

An air force pilot accused of murdering his wife and making it look like an accident has breached his bail conditions less than two months after being released from prison.

Robert John Crawford was charged with murdering his wife Frances Crawford in July last year and allegedly moving her body under a lawnmower to make it look like a tragic accident.

Crawford was arrested in October and successfully applied for bail in Brisbane Supreme Court on May 2, where he was ordered to comply with a list of strict bail conditions on release.

On Friday, police will allege Crawford did not abide by his curfew conditions and breached his bail.

Crawford faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday charged with breach of bail, and was released.

Crawford – a RAAF pilot – is contesting a charge of murder and interfering with a corpse in relation to the death of his wife at their Lockyer Valley property.

Robert Crawford arrives at Ipswich Police Station in October 2024. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Frances was found dead underneath a ride-on lawnmower at the bottom of their rock retainer wall in the early hours of the morning on July 30.

Frances was a beloved mother-of-three and a well-known psychologist in Toowoomba.

During Crawford’s bail application in May, Crown prosecutor Chris Cook claimed he had “manipulated the scene after killing his wife and painted himself as the victim”.

“He paints himself as waking up in the middle of the night, rolling over and she’s not there and goes looking for her, but what we see on this document is he’s using his phone a lot throughout the evening … and his bed is made, so the inference is he hadn’t been sleeping,” Mr Cook said.

But high-profile criminal barrister Saul Holt KC said Crawford frantically looked around the property for his wife before finding her under the 260kg lawnmower and calling emergency services around 3.30am.

The home of Robert and Frances Crawford. Source: Supreme and District Courts Brisbane.

Mr Holt said it was credible that Frances went to move the lawnmower herself and fatally fell in a terrible accident.

Mr Holt said the prosecution case was “very weak” and expert analysis was “flawed”, and argued Crawford should be granted bail.

Justice Frances Williams granted Crawford bail, saying he may end up spending a lengthy period of time in jail, and that parts of the Crown’s evidence were “contestable”.

Bail conditions included $250,000 surety from his father, curfew, daily reporting at Toowoomba police station, not applying for passport including diplomatic passport, not leave Queensland or Australia, not enter within 500m of international terminal, not enter airfield given he is a pilot, not contact with any witness or potential witness including children.

The breach of bail matter was adjourned for review on August 14.

Crawford will face a committal hearing in October in relation to the murder charge.

Originally published as Robert Crawford bail breach two months after release over wife Frances Crawford’s death