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Aussie Olympian amputates finger to compete at Paris Games

<p>Matthew Dawson has amputated part of his ring finger in order to compete in the Olympics. </p> <p>The 30-year-old is set to represent the Australian men's hockey team - the Kookaburras- at this year's Paris Olympics.</p> <p>His Olympic participation was cast into doubt after he broke his finger, but in an extreme show of dedication, he opted to amputate it instead of getting a cast. </p> <p>“I made an informed decision with the plastic surgeon at the time not only for the opportunity to play in Paris but for life after as well,” Dawson told <em>7NEWS</em>.</p> <p>“The best option was for me to take the top of my finger off. It’s a bit of a change at the moment and an exciting challenge, I guess.”</p> <p>He reportedly didn't have much time to make the decision, but reassured that he was well informed before making the big move. </p> <p>“I had made the decision and then I called my wife, and she said, ‘I don’t want you to make a rash decision’, but I had all the information I needed to make the decision not for Paris but for life after,” he said.</p> <p>“Hopefully, I can not take too long to get back to form.”</p> <p>He added: “There are plenty of other issues and other people going on with other stuff in their lives that are bigger than losing a finger, so I’m very fortunate that it’s just a little bit of my finger.” </p> <p>Kookaburras Coach Colin Batch praised Dawson for making the big decision. </p> <p>“Dawson is back in training now. He’s certainly set the bar high for anyone getting a broken finger in the future, but full marks to Matt; he’s made that decision and obviously really committed to playing in Paris,” he said.</p> <p>The coach also told <em>7NEWS</em> that the decision was made entirely by Dawson, and that a coach can't decide for a player. </p> <p>“I’m not sure I would have done it, but he’s done it, so great,” he said.</p> <p>The Aussie hockey team will compete against Argentina on July 27 in their first match for the Paris Olympics.</p> <p><em>Images: Nine</em></p>

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Result of Chris Dawson's appeal announced

<p>In a significant decision, the state's highest criminal appeal court has denied Chris Dawson's attempt to overturn his conviction for the calculated murder of his wife, Lynette, whose mysterious disappearance in 1982 remains one of Sydney's most perplexing cases.</p> <p>Dawson was found guilty in 2022 of murdering Lynette Joy Simms, who was 33 years old when she disappeared from their Bayview home in January 1982. Despite extensive investigations, her body has never been recovered.</p> <p>Justice Ian Harrison, who presided over the trial, determined that Dawson, a former teacher and rugby league player, murdered Lynette to remove what he saw as an obstacle to a new life with "JC", his former student and the babysitter of the couple's two children. JC moved into Dawson's home within days of Lynette's disappearance. Harrison sentenced Dawson to a maximum of 24 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 18 years.</p> <p>Now 75, Dawson appealed the conviction in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. On Thursday at 2pm, the court dismissed his appeal, solidifying the initial verdict.</p> <p>Compounding his legal woes, Dawson's non-parole period was extended by a year after his conviction for unlawful sexual activity with a student in 1980. Consequently, Dawson will not be eligible for release until 2041, when he will be 93 years of age.</p> <p>After Lynette was officially declared missing, Dawson remarried twice. He wed JC on January 15, 1984, at the Bayview home he had shared with Lynette. Later that year, the couple relocated to Queensland. JC left Dawson in early 1990 and made her first police statement regarding Lynette's disappearance in May that year, prompting renewed investigations.</p> <p>Dawson's legal team presented five grounds for appeal. They argued that the delay in criminal proceedings disadvantaged Dawson and that Harrison's verdict was unsupported by evidence. They claimed the Crown failed to disprove that Lynette was alive on January 9, 1982, and that the evidence as a whole did not substantiate Dawson's guilt.</p> <p>Harrison maintained in his August 2022 judgment that proving Lynette's death around January 8, 1982, was crucial to the Crown's case. Dawson's barrister, Belinda Rigg, SC, argued that it was plausible Lynette was alive on January 9 and had contacted Dawson at his part-time job, suggesting she needed time away to resolve personal issues. However, Harrison found Dawson's claim – solely supported by his own testimony, which he did not present at trial – was a lie.</p> <p>Justice Christine Adamson, one of the appellate judges, highlighted the absence of phone records, noting the uncertainty they posed: "We don’t have the phone records, and there’s no way of knowing whether the phone records are going to be completely neutral, or exculpatory, or inculpatory."</p> <p>Rigg contended during the appeal that Dawson's ability to verify his account independently had been compromised by the delay.</p> <p>The court's decision to dismiss Dawson's appeal reinforces the gravity of his crimes and underscores the enduring quest for justice in one of Australia's most enduring mysteries.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter (X) | Nine</em></p>

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Chris Dawson's daughter reveals the emotional last texts from her father

<p>Chris Dawson's daughter has revealed the final messages she sent to her dad as the investigation into his wife's murder made mainstream news. </p> <p>In August 2022, Chris Dawson was found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette in January 1982, and is now serving 24 years for the murder, and a three-year sentence for the unlawful carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old pupil.</p> <p>Now, Shanelle has opened up about the conflicting feels she holds for her father in an emotional interview with <a href="https://www.womensweekly.com.au/news/shanelle-dawson-tells-her-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Australian Women's Weekly</em></a>. </p> <p>Shanelle spoke candidly about how her life changed when the investigation into her others murder gained so much traction on the award-winning podcast <em>Teacher's Pet</em>. </p> <p>“My inner world [was] playing out for the masses. [I] couldn’t pretend anymore,” the mother-of-one told the publication. </p> <p>In a text to her father, Shanelle told Dawson she loved him, “but I won’t live a life based on lies, nor will I keep subjecting myself to emotional manipulation and control”.</p> <p>“You have dishonoured our mother so terribly,” her message read. </p> <p>“One day, I will forgive you for removing her so selfishly from our lives.” </p> <p>To which Dawson responded, “You’re clearly very lonely and depressed in the life you’ve chosen … It is your adult life, now 41 with a child and without a partner, that has clearly caused this terrible depression.” </p> <p>That same month, she received what would be his final text to her, reading: “Hi Shanelle, hope you and Kialah are both well. Thinking of you constantly xx.”</p> <p>She also recalled in the interview her father telling her when she was 13 that he “wished he had tried harder” to make his marriage with Lynette “work”.</p> <p>It was a throw-away comment that Shanelle said was “possibly” prompted by “the realisation that he’d murdered our mum for no good reason”. </p> <p>Now, she added, “I honestly believe that he’s got some kind of split personality disorder and he doesn’t remember [killing her]”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 60 Minutes</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Chris Dawson's twin brother accused of underage sex

<p>Paul Dawson, the twin sibling of Chris Dawson, who is both a convicted murderer and a perpetrator of child sexual abuse, is now facing allegations from several women claiming he engaged in sexual activity with them when they were minors during their time as students – per <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/wife-killer-chris-dawsons-twin-accused-by-four-women-of-underage-sex/8b9b9345-e1d6-4f3d-9bcc-d3f3d4c06603" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 Minutes</a>.</p> <p>One of Paul Dawson's former students at Forest High School, Shelley Oates-Wilding, shared her experience on a <em>60 Minutes</em> interview, detailing her time during the early 1980s when she was a teenager.</p> <p>Multiple women who attended schools in Sydney's Northern Beaches, where Paul Dawson taught, have also come forward, asserting that the now 75-year-old engaged in sexual relations with them when they were underage.</p> <p>Prior to their teaching careers, both Paul and Chris Dawson were prominent figures in the world of rugby league and modelling. However, their roles as educators have recently come under intense scrutiny as law enforcement reopened investigations into the suspected murder of Lynette Dawson.</p> <p>Although the focus had been primarily on Chris Dawson until now, serious questions now arise about Paul Dawson's behaviour. Shelley's public disclosure unveils disturbing details about how Paul Dawson targeted her. In an exclusive interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>, Shelley revealed that she and Paul spent considerable time socialising with Chris and his young mistress, forming two couples of teachers and students. Shelley alleges that Paul engaged in sexual activity with her at various locations across Sydney's Northern Beaches.</p> <p>The experiences she recalls were intimate and occurred within settings like fitness classes, store rooms, and pools. At the time, the Dawson twins, popular and attractive, garnered admiration from their students, making any attention they showed highly flattering.</p> <p>Shelley reflects on the naivety of youth, sharing that as a 15- and 16-year-old, she lacked the awareness to recognise the grooming that was occurring. She was also a babysitter for Paul's children, which sometimes led to overnight stays.</p> <p>Given the legal framework of the time, the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) deemed it illegal for a teacher to engage in sexual activity with a female student under the age of 17. Shelley vividly remembers an encounter with Paul shortly before the news of Lyn Dawson's disappearance emerged. Paul expressed distress, telling her that something terrible had occurred, and he could no longer maintain their connection. Shelley recalls pondering the severity of the situation at the time.</p> <p>As news circulated about Chris Dawson's missing wife, Shelley sensed a darker narrative than Lyn simply running away. Her personal experiences led her to believe that there was more to the story.</p> <p>"At the beginning of school, I vividly remember going to see him," she said on the program. "He said to me with this extremely pained look on his face that something terrible has happened and he can't see me anymore. I remember thinking, what could be that terrible?"</p> <p>Decades have passed since Shelley's time as Paul Dawson's student. She has since relocated to Hawaii, distancing herself from the Northern Beaches environment where she grew up. While the scars of her childhood experiences can be lasting, Shelley Oates-Wilding channels her journey into positive efforts. She founded Ikaika Hawaii, where she implements holistic programs to guide young individuals toward understanding right from wrong, cultivating perseverance, and embracing respect.</p> <p>She has found the confidence to speak out on Paul Dawson because she knows there are other victims who are in a worse situation than her.</p> <p>Shelley maintains that Paul Dawson likely remains oblivious to any wrongdoing. She perceives a tendency for the Dawson twins to deceive effortlessly, suggesting that their self-perception is intertwined with the narratives they've woven.</p> <p><em>Images: Nine / 60 Minutes</em></p>

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Richard Wilkins' heartbreaking interview regret

<p dir="ltr">Richard Wilkins has revealed the one heartbreaking question he wished he had asked Charlotte Dawson the day before her passing.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a recent interview for his series <em>Dickie's Diaries</em> the usually upbeat Nine Entertainment reporter sat in a moment of silence before he answered the interviewer’s question: What’s the one question you wished you’d asked?</p> <p dir="ltr">"The one question I wish I'd asked was to my friend," Wilkins began, repeating the question, pausing briefly before saying her name "Charlotte Dawson".</p> <p dir="ltr">"Charlotte used to come on the Today show a lot.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She always used to come into my dressing room at the old Channel Nine studios in Sydney. We'd always have a good old chat about stuff,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He shared the conversation they had in February 2014 and the moment that has weighed on his mind since.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She said 'what are you doing on the weekend' and I said 'I'm going up to see Bruce Springsteen play in the Hunter Valley. It's going to be fantastic', I said. 'I can't wait to get up there',"</p> <p dir="ltr">"Charlotte took her life the next day which still makes my... shivers go up my spine... I had a spare ticket and I wish I'd said to her 'do you want to come?'</p> <p dir="ltr">"You just wonder whether, had she got out of the space she was in, taken a leap of faith, maybe things would have turned out differently."</p> <p dir="ltr">The New Zealand-Australian model and TV personality was found dead in her home in Woolloomooloo on February 22, 2014.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson had depression for over a decade and was only 47 when she passed. She had opened up about her struggle in an interview in 2012.</p> <p dir="ltr">"When you work in a public environment like the media, you do have to have a thick skin," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And no matter what you do, people are still going to hate you just because they think you're ugly or because they don't like the sound of your voice."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty/ Nine Entertainment</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Don't go it alone. Please reach out for help.</em></strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Lifeline: 13 11 14 or <a href="http://lifeline.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifeline.org.au</a></em></strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or <a href="beyondblue.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beyondblue.org.au</a></em></strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong><em>Headspace: 1800 650 890 or <a href="http://headspace.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">headspace.org.au</a></em></strong></p>

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Chris Dawson’s daughter claims to know where Lynette was buried

<p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson’s estranged daughter has spoken publicly for the first time since her father was found guilty of killing her mother Lynette and has claimed she knows where her mother is buried.</p> <p dir="ltr">In an interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>, Shanelle Dawson said that she uncovered memories of her father burying her mother under the family pool while under hypnosis.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Dawson was four years old when her mother disappeared from their family home in Bayview.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her father told officers during his single police interview that he had dropped Lynette off at a bus stop in Mona Vale and that she had failed to meet up with him at the Northbridge Baths.</p> <p dir="ltr">For 40 years, Ms Dawson said her father told her that Lynette had run away.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, Ms Dawson said she has different memories about what happened, which were uncovered during a 2013 hypnosis session led by Detective Damian Loone, who was the officer in charge of the case.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was like I could feel myself as a four-and-a-half-year-old child again,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could feel the feelings that she felt at the time. It was really pretty profound.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I believe I saw my sister and I in the back of a car, of our station wagon, and my mother slumped in the front.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I believe I saw him shining headlights on a spot near the pool and digging. I believe that he buried her in that spot for that night, and then the next day when he didn’t have us kids, moved her somewhere else.”</p> <p dir="ltr">While she accepted that some would question how much of her recollection was real, when asked whether she believed they were real memories, Ms Dawson said: “I think they are, yes.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Dawson also spoke of the “toxic” and “manipulative” environment she grew up in after her mother vanished.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could see that he was manipulative and gaslighting us all the time,” she said in an interview broadcast on Sunday night.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My father definitely embodies the survival of the fittest, f*** everyone else. Just do what you need to do to get what you want.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And I feel a lot of anger and rage towards him for being that way, but I simultaneously feel compassion and sadness that he is that way.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette’s death created a schism in the family, with Ms Dawson explaining that she had been cut off by her father’s side of the family and her sister, who supports him.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the last text message she sent to her father, three months before his 2018 arrest, Ms Dawson confronted him about what happened to her mother and asked him to take responsibility.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I won’t live a life based on lies, nor will I keep subjecting myself to emotional manipulation and control,” she said in the message.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You have dishonoured our mother so terribly, and also my sister and I, through all of this. No more. One day I will forgive you for removing her so selfishly from our lives.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Dawson told <em>60 Minutes</em> that her father replied and blamed her instead.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You are clearly very lonely and depressed in the life you have chosen,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You know very little about what was going on in my life, or your sister’s. It is your adult life, now 41, with a child and without a partner. That has clearly caused this terrible depression.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We all, unfortunately, have to live with the choices we make. I OWN my poor choices, and you never need to remind me of them.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In the days after Lynette was last seen, Dawson moved JC, the family’s 17-year-old babysitter, into the family’s home.</p> <p dir="ltr">During her testimony, JC told the Supreme Court that she was groomed by Dawson, who was a teacher at her high school, from a young age.</p> <p dir="ltr">While Ms Dawson said she didn’t blame JC for what happened, she felt like the babysitter could have acted differently.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel very sad for her. I feel sad that I don’t know why she made the choices she did,” Ms Dawson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know for myself having babysat and nannies in multiple, multiple homes ... And thankfully none of those dads ever hit on me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But I know as a 17-year-old, I still would’ve had the capacity, even with my background, to say, ‘no, that’s not okay. You’re a married man’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Victims of grooming are manipulated and coerced by their abusers, who are usually members of the victim’s circle of trust, such as family members and teachers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The interview comes after Dawson was found guilty of murdering Lynette by Justice Ian Harrison in August.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I heard them say, ‘Chris Dawson, I find you guilty’ and I was just in shock,” Ms Dawson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just couldn’t fathom it really. It just felt so surreal.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-55fa7768-7fff-ae9f-60bf-a6b375302cf0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 60 Minutes</em></p>

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King Charles’ family friend snaps up historical Sydney mansion

<p dir="ltr">A family friend of King Charles III has snapped up a historical home in Sydney’s lower north shore.</p> <p dir="ltr">Edward Dawson-Damer, the son of the seventh Earl of Portarlington and equerry (a senior attendant) to the Queen Mother, and his wife Joanne Grant paid an eye-watering $9.325 million for the 114-year-old Dalkeith mansion, per <em><a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/king-charles-friend-buys-9-3-million-cremorne-home-2-1185842/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Domain</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Cremorne home was built in 1908 by English wool merchant and Freemasons grand master Frank Whiddon and sits on an almost 1500-square-metre block.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the early 1950s, the property was bought by the Norwegian Church Abroad, becoming the Norwegian Seaman’s Mission and providing community services to Scandinavian seamen until 1978, according to <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/8-bannerman-street-cremorne-nsw-2090-2018035301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the listing</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">While steeped in history, their new sandstone home has also undergone major renovations and an extension, which the listing described as “contemporary updates”, including an open-plan layout, modern appliances in the kitchen and an alfresco entertainment area with an in-ground pool and sandstone cabana.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home also boasts a billiard room that was formerly used as a chapel, with stained-glass windows and the original pew featured.</p> <p dir="ltr">Inside, the art-nouveau period features have been maintained, and each of the five bedrooms come with adjoining sunrooms.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as an upgrade for Dawson-Damer and Grant, who offloaded their home in Vaucluse for $6.45 million last year.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-756cc629-7fff-9afa-842a-06546a58e632"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Domain</em></p>

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“Give us the closure we need”: Chris Dawson's daughter's desperate plea

<p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson’s eldest daughter has addressed her father with an emotional plea during a court hearing prior to his sentencing for murdering his wife, Lynette.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shanelle Dawson delivered a victim-impact statement during the hearing at the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday, where she pleaded with her father to “finally admit the truth”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/stunning-chris-dawson-verdict-handed-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dawson was convicted of Lynette’s murder</a> by Justice Ian Harrison in August after one of the country’s most high-profile trials.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former teacher wasn’t charged over the murder until 2018 and has always maintained that Lynette walked out of their family in the early 1980s.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fighting back tears, Shanelle told the court she had endured “41 years of deceit, silence, trauma and gaslighting” at the hands of her father.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The night you removed our mother from our lives was the night you destroyed my sense of safety and belonging in this world for many years to come," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her father sat silently in the dock and looked at the floor while Shanelle told him he had “no right” to take away her mother.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You are not God”, she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I went to great lengths to keep the secret from my daughter… Unfortunately her friend told her. I had to explain to my beautiful innocent daughter why her grandfather killed her grandmother. </p> <p dir="ltr">"She kept asking, 'Why did he do that?' The same question which tortured me for years and years.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Why didn't you just divorce her? Because of money? For God's sake."</p> <p dir="ltr">Shanelle was four when her mother was last seen, and her sister was two.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Why didn’t you just divorce her, and let those who love and need her, keep her?” Shanelle continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It hurts me deeply to think of you in jail for the rest of your life but I also choose not to carry your burdens anymore.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The now 44-year-old said the thought of Dawson being in jail hurt because she had lost her mother and father too, and she asked him to reveal where her mother was.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Please tell us where she is," Shanelle said. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I hope you will finally admit the truth to yourself and give us the closure we need."</p> <p dir="ltr">The court also heard statements from Lynette’s siblings, Gregory Simms and Patricia Jenkins, which were read out on their behalf.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Simms wrote that Dawson had been accepted into the family but “repaid us by committing the ultimate betrayal”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He added that the years of lying to the Simms family and his own daughters showed that Dawson was a “conniving monster hell-bent on … getting what you wanted at any cost”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"To see you sitting there during the trial, showing no remorse or accountability ... confirmed in my mind that you are a coward and can only see things from your own perspective and gain," Mr Simms wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We ask you to do the decent thing and allow us to bring Lyn home to rest, finally giving her the decency she deserves."</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Jenkins wrote of her initial confusion of learning that her sister was missing and that a “black cloud” had been hanging over the family for 40 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said she had watched her sister be reduced from a “vibrant, caring, funny and intelligent” woman to one without confidence by Dawson even before her death.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes after Justice Harrison found that Dawson was motivated to kill Lynette because of an “obsessive infatuation” with “JC”, the family’s teenaged babysitter who was a student at the school he taught at and his future wife.</p> <p dir="ltr">The judge said Dawson was “tortured” at the prospect of losing “JC” while he was “shackled with a wife” he wanted to leave.</p> <p dir="ltr">During his marathon judgement, Justice Harrison ruled that Lynette died on or around January 8, 1982, and was satisfied that Dawson’s claims of speaking with her after that date were “lies”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In Thursday’s hearing, Crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC argued that Dawson had planned the murder for at least six days.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The death of Lynette and the offender's subsequent campaign of disinformation left her parents and siblings in a state of anxiety and uncertainty for decades," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Greg Walsh, Dawson’s lawyer, said that the murder was an “isolated” and “precipitous” act and that Dawson had been receiving death threats <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/detailed-look-at-chris-dawson-s-first-day-behind-bars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in jail</a>, where inmates called him “The Teacher’s Pet”, in reference to the podcast that thrust the case into the spotlight.</p> <p dir="ltr">The hearing concluded with Justice Harrison reserving his judgement, with Dawson’s sentence due to be handed down on December 2.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa67992a-7fff-b1a0-a1d4-9e3cc41df528"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Chris Dawson tries to overturn guilty verdict ahead of tell-all interview

<p>Chris Dawson has lodged the paperwork to begin the process of overturning his guilty conviction for the murder of his wife Lynette 40 years ago.</p> <p>The 74-year-old has spent the last five weeks in Sydney's Silverwater Jail, as he awaits his sentencing day in court on November 11.</p> <p>Despite the high-profile case producing a guilty verdict, Dawson has always maintained his innocence over the disappearance of Lynette, whose body still hasn't been found.</p> <p>Sources told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11279117/Chris-Dawson-lodges-appeal-against-conviction-murdering-wife-Lynette-daughter-breaks-silence.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a> last month that Dawson's legal team had recently lodged a notice of intention to appeal with the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.</p> <p><em>Nine News</em> also reported on Tuesday night the paperwork flagging Dawson's intention to appeal his conviction has now been formally submitted, as the network prepares to air an interview with one of his daughters.</p> <p>Shanelle Dawson is preparing to open up about growing up without her mother, along with the torment and confusion that arose form her disappearance in a tell-all interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>.</p> <p>Shanelle, who was just four years old when her mum Lynette vanished in 1982, said she was always told by her father that her mother left because she didn't love her and her other sisters.</p> <p>"I feel a lot of rage and anger towards him," Shanelle says in the <em>60 Minutes</em> preview.</p> <p>"It was manipulative and gaslighting us."</p> <p>"Whatever he said or threatened me kept me quiet for the next 40 years."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / 60 Minutes</em></p>

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New laws prompted by Chris Dawson murder trial

<p dir="ltr">New South Wales is set to introduce new laws making it "impossible" for convicted murders to be released on parole if they refuse to reveal where the bodies of their victims are located.</p> <p dir="ltr">The proposed "no body, no parole" law comes as Chris Dawson was convicted of his wife's murder last month, which happened in 1982. The issue gained attention as soon as the high-profile case gained heavy media coverage – yet the body of Lynette Dawson was never found.</p> <p dir="ltr">NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the government's proposed bill would mean offenders must co-operate with investigators and disclose the location of remains for any chance of release on parole.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We will make it impossible for offenders who willfully and deliberately refuse to disclose information about their victim's remains, to be granted parole," Mr Perrottet said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Being unable to locate a loved one's body is extremely distressing and traumatic for the families and friends of victims and it denies a victim the dignity of being laid to rest appropriately.</p> <p dir="ltr">"These laws are to stop inmates convicted of murder or homicide offences from getting parole unless they co-operate with police to end the torment of families and return to them the remains of their loved ones."</p> <p dir="ltr">"No body, no parole" laws are already in place in other states and territories including Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.</p> <p dir="ltr">Under the proposed laws, the State Parole Authority (SPA) must not grant parole unless it decides the offender has cooperated in identifying the victim's location. Once the law has passed, it would apply to all current and future inmates in NSW.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Lynette Dawson's body: the location and the obstacles

<p>Police believe they know the location of Lynette Dawson's body, but say “there is no possible way to search” the area. </p> <p>Earlier this week, Justice Ian Harrison SC found former teacher and rugby league player Chris Dawson <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/stunning-chris-dawson-verdict-handed-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guilty of the murder of his wife</a> Lynette in 1982.</p> <p>The 33-year-old nurse was last seen on Friday January 8th, 1982, when she spoke to her mother on the phone.</p> <p>She was never seen or heard from again, and her body was never found.</p> <p>Now, police believe her remains are somewhere in the Central Coast region, just north of Sydney. </p> <p>Chris and Lynette lived together in Bayview Heights after they got married, on Sydney’s northern beaches, within easy reach of the Central Coast.</p> <p>Police dug up that property but Ms Dawson’s remains were not found.</p> <p>“There was the theory that he travelled to the Central Coast on January 9th,” a police source told The <a title="www.dailytelegraph.com.au" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/detectives-who-investigated-lynette-dawson-case-believe-they-know-where-the-body-is-buried/news-story/50416949f5697b44a971633719782bec" data-tgev="event119" data-tgev-container="bodylink" data-tgev-order="50416949f5697b44a971633719782bec" data-tgev-label="truecrimeaustralia" data-tgev-metric="ev">Daily Telegraph</a>. </p> <p>However, the police said there was no evidence that suggested the body was in any particular location of  the Central Coast, which is around 550 square kilometres in size. </p> <p>“The problem is that there is a lot of regional bush area between their home and when he went up the coast.</p> <p>“There is no possible way to search it, it’s so vast,” the source said.</p> <p>In his marathon five-hour judgment, Justice Harrison said that Dawson had ample time to dispose of his wife’s body as his children were staying with a friend on January 9th. </p> <p>No one can vouch for his whereabouts during that time. </p> <p>“The Crown case is that (Dawson) used that time to dispose of the body,” Justice Harrison said.</p> <div data-type="factbox" data-id="1661757855704"> </div> <p>Without Dawson himself giving up her resting place, police are doubtful they will be able to find Ms Dawson’s remains. </p> <p>The family of Ms Dawson are losing faith that her body will be found. </p> <p>“This is a milestone in our journey, however she is still missing,” Lynette’s brother Greg Simms told reporters outside court.</p> <p>“We would ask Chris Dawson to find it in himself to do the decent thing and allow us to put Lyn to rest.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: ABC</em></p>

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Detailed look at Chris Dawson's first day behind bars

<p>After being found guilty of killing his wife, convicted murder Chris Dawson has spent his first night at Silverwater prison, located in NSW.</p> <p>Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison declared the 74-year-old guilty of murdering his wife Lynette and disposing of her body in 1982, after a lengthy trial.</p> <p>Here is exactly how his first night in prison played out.</p> <p>Upon arrival at the Silverwater facility, he was body-scanned or strip-searched and his clothing was replaced with the prison kit. Each prisoner is issued with a razor, toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.</p> <p>Until Dawson receives a security classification number, he will remain at Silverwater, then he will be sent to a prison that matches that classification.</p> <p>Prisoners at Silverwater consume one hot meal a day, served at 3 pm in their cell. The inmates also receive rations doled out in either the morning or evening, including milk, cereal and seven slices of bread to go with the sachets of coffee and prison-issue tea bags.</p> <p>After 3pm, prisoners remain in their cell alone until the strict 7 am wake-up call.</p> <p>Following the guilty verdict, Dawson’s lawyer Greg Walsh said he would likely apply for his client to be released on bail on the basis that his client wasn’t well.</p> <p>“He’s been suffering from cognitive problems and also a lot of other physical problems,” he said, adding that Dawson had been diagnosed with dementia and had problems with his hips and knees.</p> <p>“Whether I proceed with that application, I don’t know, but the judge hasn’t set a sentencing date yet, so it may well be that I don’t proceed with that application at this stage.”</p> <p>Walsh claims Dawson was upset following the verdict and would likely appeal against his conviction, as he remains adamant of his absolute innocence.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

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Chris Dawson’s brothers clash with media

<p dir="ltr">The brothers of convicted murderer Chris Dawson have clashed with media outside the court where their brother received his guilty verdict.</p> <p dir="ltr">NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/stunning-chris-dawson-verdict-handed-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found the 74-year-old former Rugby player guilty</a> of murdering his wife Lynette in January 1982, bringing the high-profile trial to an end.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette was 33 when she vanished from the family’s Bayview home, and her body has never been found. Dawson pleaded not guilty during the trial and has maintained his innocence.</p> <p dir="ltr">With emotions running high in the wake of the verdict, Dawson’s brothers were seen getting into a scuffle with the media, prompting police to intervene when one brother appeared to nudge a cameraman.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s my wife,” one of the brothers said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m trying to get to my wife.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the scuffle, members of the media continued to follow the family, though a police officer shielded the woman from them and kept a hand on her back.</p> <p dir="ltr">The brother then hugged his wife, who appeared to be crying, distressed and emotional.</p> <p dir="ltr">No arrests were made as a result of the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">JC, the family’s teenage babysitter who Dawson married in the years following Lynette’s disappearance, played a significant role in the trial, with Justice Harrison finding that Dawson was obsessed with her when they met while he was a teacher at her high school.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple built a home near Dawson’s twin brother Paul and his wife Marilyn, three years after Lynette’s disappearance, and had a daughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple split five years later.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson’s third wife, Susan, didn’t accompany him to court.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-41eaca7c-7fff-0d08-17dd-1164c34980a3"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Lynette Dawson's family responds to guilty verdict

<p dir="ltr">Lynette Dawson’s family have called for one final request from Chris Dawson after he was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/stunning-chris-dawson-verdict-handed-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty of murdering his wife</a> after she “disappeared” 40 years ago. </p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Ian Harrison found Chris Dawson guilty of Lynette’s murder - 40 years after she went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial, which gained worldwide traction thanks to the podcast Teacher’s Pet, saw the incredible decision handed down following a seven week trial and a marathon four hour ruling. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette’s brother, Greg Simms has said justice has finally been served after she was murdered by someone who loved her. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m a little emotional - after 40 years, my sister has been vindicated,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This verdict is for Lyn. Today her name has been cleared.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The court has found what we believed to be true for so many years: Chris Dawson took the life of our beloved Lyn back in 1982.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Unfortunately, Lynette’s parents and other brother passed away in the years following her murder, not knowing what would come out of the case. </p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Simms has since called on Dawson to do the right thing and reveal where he buried Lynette so she can finally rest in peace. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We would also love to remember those who loved Lyn who are not here to see this judgement,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She is still missing, we still need to bring her home.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We would ask Chris Dawson to find it in himself to finally do the decent thing and allow us to bring Lyn home to a peaceful rest, finally show her the dignity she deserves.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When the case reopened, Dawson requested a judge-only trial due to the popularity of the Teacher’s Pet podcast, stating that the jury would have their decisions impacted by it. </p> <p dir="ltr">This required Justice Harrison to outline the reasons behind his decision also saying that the prosecution had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette was dead, that Dawson had killed her with the possible involvement of assistance of others, and that he disposed of her body.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Supreme Court justice shared several findings to support his decision and weighed in on evidence presented during the trial, including ruling that Lynette had died on the date alleged by the prosecution and dismissing claims from Dawson that he contacted his wife as “lies”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Harrison said it was “simply absurd” and defied “common sense” that Lynette would be in contact with the person “who was the reason for her departure” from her home.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also ruled that Lynette didn’t leave home voluntarily, with the prosecution providing multiple reasons that were “strongly persuasive” when considered together, including that she adored her children, hadn’t taken any clothing or personal items with her, was mentally stable, and was dependent on her husband to drive her everywhere.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Lynette Dawson is dead … she died on or about 8 January 1982 and she did not voluntarily abandon her home,” he told the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Harrison dismissed claims from the defence that Lynette was spotted after January 8.</p> <p dir="ltr">He found that Dawson told JC, “Lyn’s gone, she’s not coming back, come back to Sydney and help look after the kids and live with me”, when he picked her up from a camping trip at South West Rocks with friends between January 10 and 12.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he said that he disagreed with claims that Dawson was motivated to kill his wife because of financial reasons, nor that he had in his mind that he would kill her when he left with JC.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That decision was made following their return and after the teen had left for South-West Rocks,” Justice Harrison said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that he was “satisfied” that Dawson resolved to kill Lynette while JC was camping.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the verdict, Dawson was taken into custody, with his lawyer, Greg Walsh, telling Justice Harrison that Dawson would likely apply for bail before his sentencing hearing, a date for which hasn’t been set yet.</p>

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Stunning Chris Dawson verdict handed down

<p dir="ltr">Former rugby player Chris Dawson has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Lynette Dawson, 40 years after she disappeared.</p> <p dir="ltr">After a four-hour reading, Justice Ian Harrison delivered his verdict on Tuesday afternoon, bringing <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/chris-dawson-to-stand-trial-over-wife-s-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the two-month trial</a> to an end.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Chris Dawson I find you guilty of the murder of Lynette Dawson,” he told the accused.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2022/aug/30/australia-news-chris-dawson-covid-isolation-politics-anthony-albanese-skills-summit-tax-cuts#top-of-blog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a></em>, gasps were heard in the courtroom where Justice Harrison was delivering his verdict. The courtroom next door, where the trial was being live streamed, erupted into applause.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson was alleged to have killed his wife to be with the family’s teenage babysitter, referred to as JC.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette was last seen on January 8, 1982, after she spoke to her mother on the phone. Her body was never found.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since Dawson successfully applied for a judge-only trial - due mainly to the publicity generated around the case by the Teacher’s Pet podcast - Justice Harrison was required to outline the reasons behind his decision.</p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Harrison said the prosecution had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette was dead, that Dawson had killed her with the possible involvement of assistance of others, and that he disposed of her body.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Supreme Court justice shared several findings to support his decision and weighed in on evidence presented during the trial, including ruling that Lynette had died on the date alleged by the prosecution and dismissing claims from Dawson that he contacted his wife as “lies”. Justice Harrison said it was “simply absurd” and defied “common sense” that Lynette would be in contact with the person “who was the reason for her departure” from her home.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also ruled that Lynette didn’t leave home voluntarily, with the prosecution providing multiple reasons that were “strongly persuasive” when considered together, including that she adored her children, hadn’t taken any clothing or personal items with her, was mentally stable, and was dependent on her husband to drive her everywhere.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Lynette Dawson is dead … she died on or about 8 January 1982 and she did not voluntarily abandon her home,” he told the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">Justice Harrison <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/i-had-visual-contact-with-lyn-dawson-court-hears" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed claims</a> from the defence that Lynette was spotted after January 8.</p> <p dir="ltr">He found that Dawson told JC, “Lyn’s gone, she’s not coming back, come back to Sydney and help look after the kids and live with me”, when he picked her up from a camping trip at South West Rocks with friends between January 10 and 12.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he said that he disagreed with claims that Dawson was motivated to kill his wife because of financial reasons, nor that he had in his mind that he would kill her when he left with JC.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That decision was made following their return and after the teen had left for South-West Rocks,” Justice Harrison said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that he was “satisfied” that Dawson resolved to kill Lynette while JC was camping.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the verdict, Dawson was taken into custody, with his lawyer, Greg Walsh, telling Justice Harrison that Dawson would likely apply for bail before his sentencing hearing, a date for which hasn’t been set yet.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d31a2e4-7fff-8a2d-e6b5-c92d3f2549ca"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @poppymasselos (Twitter) / @Kangaroo_Court (Twitter)</em></p>

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Chris Dawson trial reaches its conclusion

<p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson’s murder trial has finally ended with the judge promising to reach a verdict “relatively quickly”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Sydney school teacher has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following a seven week long trial at The Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison said he will reveal his verdict as soon as possible. </p> <p dir="ltr">On the final day of hearing, the crown alleged that the former rugby player had an "unfettered relationship" with the family’s babysitter, known in court as JC. </p> <p dir="ltr">The babysitter was also a student at the same school Dawson taught at and he eventually married her before seeing Lynette as an “impediment” on his relationship with JC.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson’s barrister Pauline David told the court that Lynette would have been "understandably, deeply hurt" by her husband’s relationship with JC but she chose to leave her family behind. </p> <p dir="ltr">"We say notwithstanding his relationship, however inappropriate, the defence position is that doesn't make him a murderer," Ms David told the court, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-11/chris-dawson-murder-verdict-expected-quickly-judge-says/101227050" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawson maintains his innocence and told the court that he dropped his wife off at a bus stop in Mona Vale on January 9, 1982 where they agreed to meet up to pick up the kids at the swimming pools. </p> <p dir="ltr">During a police interview he claims that Lynette called him saying she needed time away to think.</p> <p dir="ltr">He told police that Lynette called him again multiple times over the following weeks with the topic along the same lines. </p> <p dir="ltr">His defence team are relying on the phone calls, Lynette’s bank statement, as well as alleged sightings of his wife five times between 1982 and 1984. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ms David told the court that it is a hypothesis which has not yet been thrown out by the courts. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I hope to be able to provide my judgement relatively quickly," Justice Harrison said at the conclusion of the submissions. </p> <p dir="ltr">"That doesn't mean tomorrow, I can assure you."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: ABC</em></p>

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“What I say is the truth”: Chris Dawson’s sole witness takes the stand

<p dir="ltr">A man who claims to have seen Lynette Dawson after she disappeared has been called as the sole witness by Chris Dawson and his lawyers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Dawson is accused of killing his wife so he could be with the family babysitter, in a trial that has seen the prosecution call on multiple witnesses over the past few months.</p> <p dir="ltr">Having waived his right to give evidence, Mr Dawson’s defence seems to rely on the testimony of Paul Cooper, who claims he saw the missing woman after she ran away from her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper told the court about the encounter, which took place 40 years ago at a Warner’s Bay hotel in Lake Macquarie, where he said he saw a woman who looked like Lynette.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She had left her husband … he had been playing up on her … I asked her was she going to go back and she said no,” Mr Cooper told the Supreme Court on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said, ‘What about your children? It’s not fair to them’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She didn’t have any ID … she had money because she had sold something.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was also waiting to get a passport … she was going to go to Bali and then head off to another overseas country.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As Mr Cooper gave his evidence, Lynette’s family shook their heads in disbelief, having maintained that she would never have abandoned her daughters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper said the conversation continued and that he began to suspect the woman was trying to frame her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said to her they were going to think he knocked ya … I thought she was setting her husband up.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Cooper came forward with his story in 2018, when he saw photos of Lynnette on an episode of <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he didn’t go to the police with his story, telling the court that he doubted they would believe him, opting instead to contact Mr Dawson’s solicitor, Greg Walsh.</p> <p dir="ltr">Under cross-examination, Mr Cooper told the court he was “200 percent” sure the woman he met was Lynette.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t forget something like that. No, it was her. 100 percent. I’ll give you 200 percent,” Mr Cooper said.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also said he would not have testified if he believed Mr Dawson had killed his wife, having witnessed his own father kill his mother as a young child.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I thought this man was guilty, I wouldn’t be sitting here now defending him for the same sort of thing, when I sat through that as a nine-year-old boy, too scared to move off the lounge because I thought I’d get shot in the head,” Mr Cooper said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not here to muck around, I’m here because I believe in what I say. What I say is the truth.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In court, Mr Cooper’s credibility as a witness was called into question. The court heard that Mr Cooper had been in prison for offences including drugs, theft, break and enter, and armed robbery.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also admitted to using cannabis and being arrested for possession of cannabis and heroin in the 1980s and 1990s.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, he said the use of those drugs hadn’t affected his memory.</p> <p dir="ltr">Crown prosecutor Craig Everson told Justice Harrison it was “improbable” that Lynette had walked out on her daughters and family.</p> <p dir="ltr">He argued that Mr Cooper’s evidence was unreliable, given that he couldn’t recall significant details about the woman he met, including her name, the names of her children, or anything about her husband.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The fact he had a seemingly not insignificant drug problem during that period and it was such a long time ago, to be looking at a single photo in the witness box or on the screen of a television program, there is a significant unreliability,” Mr Everson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial is now entering its closing stages, with the crown beginning its closing submissions on Monday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f503c9c4-7fff-6a4c-c4d5-aa83ff2b1063"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 9News</em></p>

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Big names touted to star in TV series of Dawson trial

<p dir="ltr">The story of Lynette Dawson’s disappearance is set to become a TV series, the court has heard.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Supreme Court heard that Hedley Thomas from News Corp, the media organisation behind the podcast <em>The Teacher’s Pet</em>, have signed with American production company Blumhouse.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as Thomas faces a second day of questioning for his role in attempting to persuade witnesses to come forward with promises of a TV series which would see them walk the red carpet alongside the likes of Hugh Jackman and Joel Edgerton.</p> <p dir="ltr">"You appreciated that would have been attractive to them?" Dawson's barrister Pauline David asked him, <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/story-of-lynette-dawsons-disappearance-to-become-tv-series-court-hears/fca5bd34-5966-480d-80d2-4e5006e9907f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Possibly, to some. It might have been very unattractive to others, who were introverted or didn't want to be involved," Thomas replied.</p> <p dir="ltr">Thomas then argued that he was just having a bit of fun and that his podcast was already completed well before any contract was offered for a TV show.</p> <p dir="ltr">The defence however claim that Thomas’s involvement with witnesses helped corrupt them in the trial against Dawson, who still maintains his innocence. </p> <p dir="ltr">He explained that the individuals are intelligent and are able to make their own decisions.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial continues. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine News</em></p>

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‘Teacher’s Pet’ journalist takes stand in Chris Dawson trial

<p dir="ltr">The journalist whose podcast, <em>The Teacher’s Pet</em>, brought global attention to Lynette Dawson’s disappearance has taken the stand in Chris Dawson’s murder trial, telling the court he wasn’t out to “condemn” Mr Dawson.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hedley Thomas, a journalist with <em>The Australian</em>, is one of the final witnesses the prosecution will call in the Supreme Court trial, during which Mr Dawson has denied killing his wife Lynette 40 years ago, per <em><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300562138/the-teachers-pet-chris-dawson-to-face-murder-trial-over-death-of-his-wife-whose-body-has-never-been-found" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Dawson’s disappearance from her home on Sydney’s northern beaches in January, 1982, was the subject of investigation in Mr Thomas’ podcast, which was downloaded 60 million times internationally.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Thomas began investigating the case in 2017 and spoke with Ms Dawson’s family about seeking “justice”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Justice for Lyn meant to you, didn’t it, the prosecution of Christoper Dawson?” Pauline David, Mr Dawson’s barrister, asked Mr Thomas on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yes, I think that that is a fair call, yes,” Mr Thomas answered.</p> <p dir="ltr">Under Ms David’s questioning, Mr Thomas said he hadn’t met Mr Dawson but had formed an opinion of him after interviewing those close to the case and reading material from the two inquests into Ms Dawson’s disappearance.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t think you need to meet someone to form a view about them,” Mr Thomas said, after the court was told of an interview Mr Thomas had with 60 Minutes where he described Mr Dawson as “despicable”, “severely narcissistic” and “dangerous”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“People can form views about tyrants, for argument’s sake, without ever having met them, study materials, talk to people and form a view.<br />“At that stage it was my view and it hasn’t changed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Mr Thomas denied that the podcast amounted to an attempt to “incite evidence” against Mr Dawson, saying he would have broadcasted evidence that contradicted his theory that Mr Dawson murdered his wife.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There was no doubt from the outset of the podcast it was going to be an exercise in condemning Christopher Dawson?” Ms David asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No, I disagree,” Mr Thomas said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I had uncovered or received information from anybody that disrupted, changed the narrative, that disputed the findings by coroners or anyone, that would have become a very significant part of the podcast.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As the case draws to a close, the court heard on Monday that Mr Thomas would be one of the final witnesses called by the prosecution, which argues that Ms Dawson was killed on or about January 8, 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Dawson argues that on the morning of January 9, 1982, he drove Ms Dawson to a Mona Vale bus stop so she could go shopping, and that she later failed to meet him at the Northbridge baths, where he worked as a part-time lifeguard.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to Mr Dawson, Ms Dawson called him from the baths, telling him she needed time away.</p> <p dir="ltr">His version of events were said to be corroborated by a woman - known for legal reasons as KB - who worked at the baths and was interviewed by former detective Damian Loone in March 2001.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Loone didn’t take a statement from her, and told the court that he didn’t turn a blind eye to evidence that supported Mr Dawson’s account.</p> <p dir="ltr">He disagreed that KB told him she remembered the phone call.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I want to suggest your failure to take a statement from (KB) was consistent with your approach to the investigation, which was that if inquiries supported Christopher Dawson you would not take a statement,” Ms David said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s incorrect,” Mr Loone replied</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial continues under Justice Ian Harrison.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3115052c-7fff-d64e-efd1-950d7f9c7ad2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Nine</em></p>

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Bombshell testimony rocks Chris Dawson trial

<p dir="ltr">An explosive bombshell detail rocked Chris Dawson’s judge-only murder trial on Thursday as Dawson’s former rugby league teammate testified that he was approached by Dawson and asked if he knew someone who could help “get rid” of his wife.</p> <p dir="ltr">Former Newtown Jets player Robert Silkman told the court that six years before Lynette Dawson disappeared, her husband approached him on a flight to the Gold Coast and posed the question to him.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was sitting there and Chris come along and kneeled down to my level where I was sitting and asked me did I know anyone who could get rid of his wife,” Mr Silkman told the court, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/get-rid-of-his-wife-chris-dawsons-teammates-bombshell-claim/news-story/0d90c610d2f21f701d972e9e1557968c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Well, I was taken aback. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘For good?’ He said, ‘Yeah’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said, ‘Look, I’ll talk to you when I get back to Sydney’. That was the end of the conversation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Silkman told the court that he did not engage in any further conversation with Dawson.</p> <p dir="ltr">Then the former Newtown Jets player’s past was questioned due to his friendship with fellow teammate Paul Hayward, who was the brother-in-law of infamous criminal Arthur “Neddy” Smith.</p> <p dir="ltr">Neddy, a convicted murderer, drug trafficker and armed robber, spent most of his life in jail and died in 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Silkman told the court that he was only socially acquainted with Neddy due to his friendship with Mr Hayward.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yeah, I wasn’t actually drinking with (Smith), I was drinking with Paul Hayward who took me to the hotel with him,” Mr Silkman told the court.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Neddy Smith was in the company.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This then led to Dawson’s barrister Pauline David questioning Mr Silkman’s criminal history and accusing him of willingly lying if there’s a “dollar” in it, the publication reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You have a very loose relationship with the truth,” Ms David said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s not correct,” Mr Silkman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from the family home in Sydney's Northern Beaches in January 1982.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial continues.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Nine News</em></p>

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