Frances Crawford repeatedly raised concerns about her husband’s “adultery and rage”, calling him a “sex addict” in messages in the weeks before he allegedly killed her, a court has heard.
uncertain
court → raise → her
Former Royal Australian Air Force pilot Robert Crawford, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, who was found at the bottom of a retaining wall at their rural property in south-east Queensland in July 2024.
asserted
who → plead → July
According to the defence, her death was a tragic accident.
uncertain
death → accord → defence
Crawford claimed he believed his wife died while moving a ride-on mower late at night because the sprinklers were going to come on.
asserted
sprinklers → claim → night
On Thursday, Detective Senior Constable Tahnee Bursle gave evidence about messages found on the Crawfords’ phones, with Frances discussing her worry about his infidelity and being away for work.
asserted
Frances → give → work
“You are so good at lying that I now can’t trust a word you say when it comes to being unfaithful,” a message in early June 2024 read.
asserted
message → lie → June
“You might miss me, love me, etc, but you were saying all these things when you were cheating at the same time.
uncertain
you → miss → time
You have sweet talked all those other women …
asserted
You → talk → women
I’m not going to risk my life to STDs and my heart to you when you are a sex addict.”
asserted
you → go → you
A note found by investigators on Frances’ phone detailed the pair’s relationship in the months before her death.
asserted
note → find → death
“My partner’s adultery, rage, and avoidance of emotional intimacy has left me feeling isolated and alone.
asserted
adultery → leave → me
I feel like I have been holding our family together without his support.
asserted
I → feel → support
I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells in the last 10 years,” it read.
asserted
it → feel → years
“When I found out about his first ‘emotional’ affair and visit to a massage parlour, I felt like my heart was totally shredded, and it took me years to come back from that only to be rejected again …
asserted
it → find → that
I felt so alone.”
The note also described Frances’ reaction to finding out Crawford had bought airfares for other women, the court heard.
asserted
court → feel → women
“I couldn’t stop screaming in pain.
asserted
I → stop → pain
How could my husband do this to me?
uncertain
husband → do → me
He promised me forever, and he had been living a lie,” it read.
asserted
it → promise → lie
“He had no problem organising sex dates whenever he chose, but he never made an effort for me.
asserted
he → have → me
That has made me feel so trapped and unloved for so long.
asserted
me → make → ?
No matter how much I communicated how this made me feel, he was checked out years ago.
asserted
he → communicate → ?
“I felt he just stayed in our marriage out of obligation …
asserted
he → feel → obligation
Once we had a child he checked out and started cheating on me and this just increased in number and severity over the next 21 years.”
asserted
this → have → years
Under the heading “physical”, the note described Crawford emotionally pressuring Frances into sex after surgery and after childbirth, “although I had barely healed.
asserted
I → describe → childbirth
This delayed the healing process”.
asserted
This → delay → process
The note also read: “He has always subtly indicated I have physical and character flaws – fat stomach, wrinkles, boring (when I was sick or tired raising children), could do with a make-up lesson etc, and he never seemed proud of me in public.
uncertain
he → read → public
“He didn’t invite me to work events, which made me feel he was ashamed of me.
asserted
he → invite → me
(I now know he was actually cheating with girls at the work event so he didn’t wish to introduce us as I would know his relationship with them was suspect.)
asserted
relationship → know → them
”
The trial before Justice Lincoln Crowley continues.
asserted
trial → continue → Crowley
The Aporia
