Scots ex-Army captain charged in Australia with murdering wife on kayaking trip
A SCOTS ex-Army captain has been charged in Australia with murdering his wife on a kayaking trip.
Graeme Davidson, 55, allegedly made the death of fellow Scot Jacqueline in November 2020 look like an accident to claim almost £500,000 in life insurance.
He then moved to Thailand but was nabbed in Brisbane on Sunday, with cops capturing his arrest on video.
A source said Davidson, who also served as a Major in the Australian Army, had returned to the country to see his daughter get married.
He has been charged with domestic violence murder as well as fraud and attempted fraud.
It had previously been thought that beautician Jacqueline, 54, fell into the water and drowned accidentally at Lake Samsonvale, north of Brisbane.
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Bystanders performed CPR but were unable to revive her, and she died at the scene.
But a murder probe was launched almost two years later after a coroner’s report uncovered new evidence.
Aussie police said they’d considered seeking Davidson’s extradition but waited until his return.
A family friend said: “Graeme’s daughter Robyn was set to get married so the cops must have known that he was coming back and decided to hang on for that.
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“The news has left us devastated. Jacqueline was a beautiful woman — very bubbly and full of life.”
Davidson was in the British Army for 22 years, from 1987 to 2009, rising to the rank of Captain.
He then transferred to the Australian Army.
It was believed he and his wife got married in 1994 and went on to have three kids — son Hamish and their daughters Robyn and Brooke.
The Sun has been told Davidson has since married a Thai woman.
He was refused police bail and did not attend Brisbane magistrate’s court on Monday. Another hearing has been set for May 19.
Detective Inspector Steve Windsor said: “The combined life insurance was in excess of one million Australian dollars (£486,000). There was an attempted fraud, a claim was made.”