Chris Dawson
Lynette
Dawson disappeared in 1982, her body has never been found.
Former
Newtown Jets rugby league star Chris Dawson — the subject of popular podcast
The Teacher’s Pet — has been refused bail and will be extradited to NSW where
he is expected to be charged with the murder of his wife, Lyn.
He appeared in the dock of Southport Magistrates Court for his
extradition hearing, wearing a crumpled T-shirt and shorts.
According to the Courier Mail,
he showed no emotion, had his head in his hands and covered his ears as the
magistrate read out police evidence, including allegations of domestic violence
against his wife.
NSW Police confirmed a 70-year-old man was arrested shortly
before 8am (AEST) in relation to the murder of Lyn Dawson.
The case has grabbed worldwide media attention since the launch
of the The
Australian’ s investigative podcast
series The
Teacher’s Pet, for which reporter Hedley Thomas and
producer Slade Gibson won the Gold Walkley, Australian journalism’s highest
honour.
Detectives hoped Mr Dawson would first appear in Parramatta
local court, in Sydney’s west, tomorrow morning but the intense public interest
surrounding the case has delayed his extradition.
Mr Dawson will not be extradited until tomorrow and instead
spend the night at Southport Watchhouse on the Gold Coast after a number of
airlines admitted they were reluctant to carry the 70-year-old due to his high
profile and the potential of it becoming a security risk.
Police are reportedly looking into chartering their own flight
to get Mr Dawson back to NSW.
Mr Dawson, a former high
school teacher, was taken to the Gold Coast suburb of Southport where he will
be charged with an arrest warrant.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick
Fuller told reporters Mr Dawson went “quietly” with police as he was arrested
this morning. Detective Superintendent Scott Cook added he was “calm and little
bit taken aback”.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on
2GB this afternoon, Mr Fuller said they received “wonderful information”
earlier this week from the Director of Public Prosecutions that there was
enough evidence to arrest Mr Dawson.
Mr Fuller said detectives
arrested Mr Dawson “to face, finally, to face court over the homicide of
Lynette Dawson”.
Mr Dawson’s family released a
statement earlier today, insisting the 70-year-old will be found not guilty.
“We are disappointed at the
decision of the DPP as there is clear and uncontested evidence that Lyn Dawson
was alive long after she left Chris and their daughters,” the statement, from
Chris’ twin brother Peter said.
“We have no doubt whatsover
that Chris will be found not guilty as he is innocent.”
Mr Fuller said Lyn’s family was relieved to hear of
this morning’s arrest.
“I have said from the start what is important to me
was justice for Lynette Dawson and her family,” he said. “Today is an important
step forward for that.”
Lyn and Chris Dawson
When asked what new evidence had led to the arrest,
Mr Fuller said statements from witnesses had “helped pull pieces of the puzzle
together”. These new statements came about as a result of media coverage.
“We have solved homicide before without identifying
the body,” he said. “Ideally in this case we will not give up on trying to
identify the whereabouts of Lynette Dawson, but from our perspective, it is not
crucial to finalising the matter.
“We haven’t given up hope in terms of finding
Lynette Dawson’s body.”
Mr Fuller added that no new evidence arose from the
latest dig at the former Dawson family home on Sydney’s northern beaches in
September.
Mr Cook told reporters detectives were “confident”
about their case against Mr Dawson.
“There are other examples in policing history and
history of the courts where people have been convicted of murder without a body,”
he said. “That may or may not be accepted in this particular case. It is a
matter for the court in due course.”
Lyn’s family reacted with shock and relief.
“I’m shaking,” her nephew David Jenkins wrote on
Twitter this morning. “There is a long road in front of us in bringing Lyn
home, but this is a big step.”
Lyn’s brother Gregg Simms said he was “quite
emotional” when he heard of Mr Dawson’s arrest this morning.
“We’ve had a cry, we’ve cuddled, we’re just
completely over the moon that something has finally happened,” he told The Australian.
Lyn vanished 37 years
ago from Sydney’s northern beaches.
Mr Dawson has always denied
being involved, telling police she ran off to join a “religious cult”. However,
two coroners found Lyn was probably murdered by Mr Dawson in 1982.
A fresh dig for evidence at
the former family home in the
northern beaches suburb of Bayview took place in September.
Mr Dawson, has long been
a suspect in the disappearance of his ex-wife, who was last seen alive more
than 35 years ago.
Detectives from the Homicide
Squad’s Unsolved Homicide Unit established Strike Force Scriven in 2015 to
reinvestigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and suspected
murder.
“Earlier this week, the
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions provided advice to police, and
following further inquiries, detectives applied for an arrest warrant before
travelling to Queensland,” NSW Police said in a statement this morning.
“Just before 8am today, a
70-year-old Coolum man was arrested by detectives from the Queensland Police
Service’s Homicide Squad in the presence of Strive Force Scriven investigators
at Biggera Waters, on the Gold Coast, in Queensland.”
NSW detectives will apply for
his extradition at his first court appearance.
Lynette Dawson’s family has
been advised of today’s arrest and have requested privacy.
WHAT HAPPENED TO LYNETTE DAWSON?
Lyn and Chris Dawson were
childhood sweethearts.
On the surface, they had it
all — a wholesome relationship, respectable jobs and a home in an idyllic suburb
on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Lyn worked as a nurse,
and was seen as a kind and gentle soul. Mr Dawson was a popular high school
physical education teacher and talented sportsman, as the popular The Teacher’s Pet
podcast revealed.
Mr Dawson began a
relationship in 1980 with his 16-year-old Cromer High School student Joanne
Curtis. Their relationship became sexual, and he took the teenager into his
home as a “babysitter” for his two daughters.
He tried convincing his
wife to let the girl move into their home for the remainder of her schooling,
saying she came from a broken home and had a violent stepfather. The couple
ended up in marriage counselling.
Lyn was due to meet her
mother at Northbridge Baths, where Chris worked, on January 9, 1982. But Lyn
never arrived. Mr Dawson later claimed he dropped her off at a bus stop in Mona
Vale and that she called him later in the day saying she needed time to
herself. Lyn was never seen again.
No more than two days after
her disappearance, Joanne had moved into Mr Dawson’s home — and marital bed.
She would even wear Lyn’s jewellery and her clothes.
Mr Dawson didn’t report his
wife as missing until six weeks later, and told everyone she had run off to
join a religious cult.
A body was never found — but
they did discover Lyn’s pink cardigan during a police dig. The garment had
multiple cut marks consistent with stabbing.
Two coroners later found that
Lyn was murdered by Mr Dawson, but no charges were ever laid. Former director
of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery, QC, said there was not enough evidence
to prosecute.
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