Murder trial hears woman's injuries 'consistent with strangulation'

A forensic pathologist has told a murder trial that injuries found on 49-year-old Frances Crawford's body were consistent with her being strangled in a chokehold and trying to free herself.

Doctor Andrzej Kędziora carried out an autopsy on the mother-of-three, after she died at her Upper Lockyer property in late July 2024, and concluded she died from injuries to her neck and head.

He said he found it "difficult to reconcile" her injuries with the account her husband Robert Crawford had given police, of him finding Ms Crawford beneath their ride-on mower, after a tragic rollover accident.

Mr Crawford has previously pleaded not guilty to one charge of domestic violence murder.

He is accused of strangling his wife and staging the scene, so he did not lose millions of dollars in a likely divorce or have to sell their multi-million-dollar home.

Prosecutors have told the jury that Mr Crawford stood to gain more than $5 million in the event of his wife's death.

Mr Crawford's defence barrister Saul Holt KC argued his client had been sleeping before finding his wife at the base of a rock wall in their yard, beneath their more than 200kg ride-on mower.

The former RAAF pilot claims he then pulled his wife's body from beneath the machine to give her CPR, but dropped it several times in doing so.

'Classic strangulation'

In conducting Ms Crawford's autopsy Dr Kędziora said he was left "puzzled" by some of the injuries found on her, with multiple occurring after she was already dead.

Dr Kędziora said Ms Crawford had between 20 and 25 injuries to her neck, a large 16cm laceration across her head, and significant bruising across her chest and chin.

"When I did the autopsy, when I saw those scratches, marks, abrasions on the neck, my first thought was … it was classic strangulation," he said.

Despite that, the doctor told the court he can not make conclusive diagnoses "with confidence", rather he could state whether certain injuries were consistent with various theories that had been put to him about how Ms Crawford may have died.

"I can say, these findings are consistent with strangulation,"

he said.

"The bruised upper chest may have been caused by the elbow or forearm while Ms Crawford was trying to free herself.

"The fingernail abrasion could have been caused if she was trying to free herself and her hand slipped.

"The areas of black discolouration could be due to knuckles."

He agreed three fractures found on Ms Crawford's neck could be caused by "any pressure to the neck" that uses "significant force", including being strangled with the "crook of the arm".

While detailing the scenario, the forensic pathologist gestured the position of a person being held in a chokehold.

'Difficult to reconcile' Mr Crawford's version

When crown prosecutor Chris Cook questioned the doctor about whether he had a "preferred" theory for which is the more likely scenario Frances Crawford died in, he said "strangulation".

"I find it difficult to reconcile those injuries with a scenario where Ms Crawford was located under, fell under the lawnmower," he said.

"With a steering wheel at an angle on the neck and the engine over the body."

Defence barrister Saul Holt KC pointed to the forensic pathologist's report, which stated the scenario was possible, and some injuries "may have been caused by trying to free herself" from the lawnmower also.

According to the autopsy report, three findings relating to the number and distribution of "linear abrasions" to her face and neck "may be atypical" for a rollover lawnmower accident.

"Nevertheless, this scenario cannot be ruled out on the basis of pathological findings alone?" Mr Holt said.

"If I ignore all the other information, I cannot rule it out no," Dr Kędziora said.

When asked if he had been influenced by police, the doctor disagreed.

The trial has so far heard from at least 20 witnesses.

It is expected to run for another fortnight, totalling about four weeks.