A pilot known for being skilled at influencing others reportedly choked his wife and then pretended she was alive by sending messages from her phone before staging a lawnmower incident, a judge was informed.
His wife Frances Elizabeth Crawford was found dead at a rural Upper Lockyer property, west of Brisbane, in the early hours of July 30, 2024.
Holt said the messages showed Ms Crawford wanted to move the lawnmower away from the water sprinklers but Mr Crawford was unable to do it himself.
A message sent at 11.21pm to Mr Crawford’s phone stated “hey are you going to put the mower away soon?”
Cook said a jury could accept Mr Crawford had already strangled his wife by that stage and was sending messages from her phone to himself.
“This allows him an extended amount of time to manipulate the scene because he doesn’t call the police until several hours later.”
Mr Crawford called triple zero at 3.37am on the day he said he discovered his wife’s body.
Cook said Mr Crawford’s statement about his wife going out to move the lawnmower at such an early hour was fanciful.
During the trial, Cook pointed out, “It’s unlikely for a woman of her age to go outside late at night without warm clothing, especially during a cold winter. Her family emphasized that this behavior was out of character for her.”
Holt said his client offered a $250,000 surety and to wear a GPS tracker while on bail.
“He has no criminal record … he is highly motivated to defend the case rather than run away from it,” the barrister said.
Williams said she would reserve her decision on bail to a later date.
