A man accused of staging his wife’s death to look like a ride-on lawnmower crash has been ordered to stand trial for her murder.

Robert John Crawford, 47, has been accused of strangling his wife in a “murderous rage” before her body was discovered west of Brisbane.

Frances Elizabeth Crawford was found dead near the ride-on mower at the base of a retaining wall at a rural Upper Lockyer property in July 2024.

Today in the Ipswich Magistrates Court, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot, Mr. Crawford, issued a not guilty plea after being ordered to stand trial.

Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan found there was sufficient evidence for Crawford to face trial on the charges of murder and interfering with a corpse.

During the two-day hearing, Mr. Crawford’s barrister, Saul Holt, commented that the prosecution’s argument was “extraordinarily weak” after he cross-examined four witnesses. This included detailed questioning of a forensic pathologist and a biomechanics expert.

Holt further raised doubts regarding the electronic evidence, which suggested a mobile phone was activated multiple times in the early morning hours, a time when Frances Crawford was likely deceased and his client claimed he was asleep.

Ganasan asked Mr Crawford if he had anything to say in response to the charges.

“Not guilty, Your Honour,” he said.

Crawford called emergency services about 3.40am and told them he found his wife at the bottom of a retaining wall and a lawnmower had fallen on her.

She had been trying to move the lawnmower away from water sprinklers, Crawford told responding officers.

Timothy John Roberts, who was a detective sergeant at the time of Ms. Crawford’s passing, testified that he had been present at the couple’s property the morning her body was discovered.

Although police declared a crime scene due to suspicions of homicide, Crawford was treated as a witness rather than a suspect, as Ms. Ganasan heard.

“Crawford said he was alone at property but also said he spent time asleep. I could not say if two people had been there,” Mr Roberts said.

Mr Crawford was charged three months after his wife’s death.

The prosecutors allege that Mr. Crawford strangled his wife, potentially in the bathroom of their home, and subsequently staged the scene to appear as though her body was pinned beneath a 237kg ride-on mower.

His defence has argued she died from the lawnmower’s steering wheel compressing her neck.

Forensic pathologist Andrzej Kedziora testified yesterday he performed the autopsy on Ms Crawford.

It revealed injuries including 15 abrasions to her throat area and an abrasion to her chin, Ganasan heard.

Under cross examination, Dr Kedziora agreed the injuries could potentially be explained by someone accidentally reversing a ride-on mower off a retaining wall at night.

However, his report found Ms Crawford could have been killed by someone pressing their arm across her throat via a headlock, Ms Ganasan heard.

Crawford’s bail was continued.

He declined to comment when he left the court building, as did Mr Holt.