Police admit no fingerprints taken from mower at murder scene
Police did not take fingerprints from the mower's steering wheel after Frances Crawford's body was found at the crime scene.
Senior Constable Matthew Fender told the court he had no reason to think the mower was used to cover up the murder, so he did not collect fingerprints from the steering wheel. Robert Crawford, 49, is accused of strangling his wife Frances at their Upper Lockyer property near Toowoomba on 29 July 2024, then placing her body next to the mower.
The mower was found in reverse with the throttle halfway open. Crawford claims his wife had tried to move it inside herself.
Her children said they never saw her use it. The trial jury has seen photographs showing bruising on her neck, a head wound, and bloodstains near the mower's steering wheel.
- Robert Crawford, 49
- Accused person
- Reverse with throttle halfway open
- Mower position
Why it mattersFingerprints could have proven who last handled the mower, a central piece of the prosecution's case about how the death was staged.
AustraliaQueensland's criminal justice system; the trial outcome will affect how seriously police and prosecutors investigate critical physical evidence.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
