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Chris Dawson (rugby league)

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Chris Dawson
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Michael Dawson
Born (1948-07-26) 26 July 1948 (age 76)
Sydney, Australia
Playing information
Rugby league
PositionSecond-row, Prop
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1972–77 Newtown Jets 53 11 0 0 33
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Eastern Suburbs
Spouses
  • Lynette Joy Simms (m. 1970; div. 1983)
  • Joanne Curtis (m. 1984; div. 1993)
  • Susan (m. 2003; div. 2023)
Children3
RelativesPaul Dawson (brother)
Notes

Christopher Michael Dawson[4] (born 26 July 1948) is an Australian convicted murderer and sex offender, and a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s.[5][6]

Following the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Lynette, and two separate coronial inquests, the NSW Coroner determined that Lynette Dawson was dead and that her most likely murderer was her husband, Chris.[7][8] After many years of stalled and failed investigations,[9] Dawson was arrested and charged with murder in December 2018, then 2 weeks later he was granted bail after he paid the court A$1.5 million, he was forced to surrender his passport to Queensland police and to live with his current wife.[10] His trial started on 9 May 2022 in the NSW Supreme Court.[11] In 2022, Dawson was found guilty of murdering Lynette, and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.[12][13] He is currently incarcerated at Long Bay Correctional Centre.[14]

Early life

[edit]

Dawson was born in Sydney, New South Wales. He is the second born of twins; his twin brother is Paul who was also a professional rugby league player and he has an older brother, Peter. Dawson attended Sydney Boys High School where he was a prefect. He graduated in 1966.

Dawson met Lynette Simms at a high school function in 1965, when they were both aged sixteen. They married in 1970 at St Jude's Church, Randwick,[2] and later had two daughters.[15]

Rugby career

[edit]

Both Chris and Paul played rugby union for Eastern Suburbs.[16]

The Dawson brothers switched codes to play rugby league for the Newtown Jets in 1972.[17][16] Chris Dawson played in the second row[16] along with Paul for the Newtown Jets club for five seasons. The Dawson brothers were part of the 1973 New South Wales Rugby League Club Championship winning team.[18][19]

Subsequent career

[edit]

After their rugby careers finished, both Chris and Paul Dawson became physical education teachers at public high schools on the Northern Beaches and North Shore of Sydney.[15] Dawson was teaching at Cromer High School in 1980 when he commenced a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old pupil, Joanne Curtis, while he was married to Lynette Dawson.[20]

The Dawson brothers and families moved to Queensland in 1985. Chris Dawson worked at Keebra Park State High School first then later moved to Coombabah State High School to work with his brother Paul.[16]

In 2003 Dawson was working at St Ursula's College in Yeppoon, Queensland before being fired from his job during the 2003 coronial inquest on Lynette's death.[20][21]

Criminal convictions

[edit]

Wife's murder

[edit]
See also: Murder of Lynette Dawson

Dawson's wife Lynette went missing in January 1982. Two days after Lynette's disappearance, Dawson invited Joanne Curtis to move into the family house. He reported his wife missing on 18 February 1982, six weeks after her disappearance,[2] claiming she had left after marital problems and had joined a commune.[20] He finalised divorce proceedings against Lynette in 1983.

Dawson married Joanne Curtis in 1984.[2] The couple divorced in 1993.[7][16]

Lynette's body has never been found but two coronial inquests were conducted in 2001 and 2003 with both ruling that Lynette Dawson must be dead and was most likely murdered by a known person.[7][8][22]

Dawson was the main subject of an investigative podcast series, The Teacher's Pet, by journalist Hedley Thomas. Thomas investigated allegations about the disappearance of Lynette and brought Dawson into renewed public and media focus through the podcast's broadcast in 2018.[23][17] As of December 2018, the Gold Walkley-award-winning podcast was downloaded 28 million times.[24] The series was temporarily removed from download in Australia in April 2019, "to help ensure that Chris Dawson gets a fair trial".[25]

On 5 December 2018, Dawson was arrested by detectives from Queensland Police for the murder of Lynette Dawson.[10] He was extradited to New South Wales on 6 December 2018 to face trial. In his appearance at Sydney's Central Local Court that day, he was refused bail and was remanded in custody.[23] On 17 December 2018, Dawson was granted bail and his family paid A$1.5 million bail for him to be released.[26] Appearing in the NSW Local Court in June 2019, Dawson pleaded not guilty to the murder of Lynette Dawson.[27] In February 2020, Dawson was committed to stand trial for the murder of Lynette.[28][29] His arraignment was set for April, with a potential trial date later in 2020.[30]

On 30 August 2022, Dawson was found guilty of murdering Lynette in 1982, after a judge only trial in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.[31][12]

On 2 December 2022, Dawson was sentenced to 24 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 18 years, for the murder of Lynette.[13]

In May 2024, Dawson's appeal against his conviction commenced.[32][33][34] His appeal was dismissed on 13 June 2024.[35]

Carnal knowledge of a student

[edit]

In May 2023, Dawson faced charges related to carnal knowledge (a historical offence replaced in 1986) of a student in his class, known for the purposes of the trial as "AB".[36] In a judge-only trial, he was found guilty by judge Sarah Huggett on 28 June 2023.[37] On 15 September 2023, he was sentenced to imprisonment for three years, with a non-parole period of two years, with the sentence to begin in August 2039 after the completion of his murder sentence.[38]

In September 2023, Dawson's victim, launched a civil case in the NSW Supreme Court against the NSW Department of Education for negligence, claiming it breached its duty of care to her, failed to investigate Dawson, and allowed him to remain a teacher at the school “notwithstanding the common knowledge that he was sexually abusing a pupil”.[39][40]

References

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  1. ^ Shawn Dollin; Andrew Ferguson; Bill Bates (2018). "Chris Dawson Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Chung, Laura (5 December 2018). "Timeline of the disappearance of Lynette Dawson". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.(subscription required)
  3. ^ Foster, Ally (31 August 2022). "Inside the relationship between murderer Chris Dawson and his twin Paul". news.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. ^ "'If they find her it will vindicate everything we've been through': Lyn Dawson's family break their silence as heartbreaking search for the truth leads police back to the house she shared with husband Chris". MSN. Archived from the original on 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Chris Dawson Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  6. ^ McPhee, Sarah (30 August 2022). "Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering Lynette Dawson in 1982". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Rohan Smith (24 May 2018). "Former Sydney school vice-captain blows lid on sex between teachers, students". Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b Thomas, Hedley (17 August 2018). "The Teacher's Pet: Coroner certain jury would find Chris Dawson guilty". The Australian. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Lynette Joy DAWSON". Australian Missing Persons Register. n.d. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Teacher's Pet's Chris Dawson arrested on Gold Coast, murder charge expected". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Chris Dawson allegedly murdered wife in 1982 so he could have 'unfettered' relationship with student, judge told". the Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 9 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b Bucci, Nino (30 August 2022). "Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering wife Lynette in Sydney 40 years ago". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Chris Dawson will 'probably die in jail' after being sentenced to 24 years for wife's murder". ABC News. 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Georgina (28 June 2023). "Chris Dawson found guilty of unlawful sexual relationship with student". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b Clare Stephens (11 July 2018). "The Teacher's Pet: The faces behind the gripping true crime story". Mamamia. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e "From 1965 to now". The Australian. 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  17. ^ a b Thomas, Hedley. "Teacher's Pet: Dawson twins had 'birthday sex' with schoolgirl". The Australian. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Faces of history Newtown Rugby League Football Club – Founded 1908". Newtown Jets. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. ^ Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995. (ISBN 1875169571)
  20. ^ a b c "The charming devil and his missing wife". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 March 2003. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Dawson 'snapped at student'". The Australian.
  22. ^ McGowan, Michael (5 December 2018). "Chris Dawson arrested and expected to be charged with murder of Lyn Dawson". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Former league star at the heart of The Teacher's Pet podcast lands in Sydney". news.com.au. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  24. ^ Cockburn, Paige; Sas, Nick (6 December 2018). "The power of the podcast – in Lynette Dawson's case was it a help or hindrance?". ABC News. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  25. ^ Butler, Gavin; Morgans, Julian (8 April 2019). "'The Teacher's Pet' Podcast has Been Taken Down in Australia". Vice. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  26. ^ Cornwall, Deborah. "Chris Dawson". The Australian. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Chris Dawson pleads not guilty to murder of wife Lynette". Guardian Australia. Australian Associated Press. 20 June 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  28. ^ "Chris Dawson to stand trial for wife's alleged murder". Sterling Law. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  29. ^ "Chris Dawson committed to stand trial". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  30. ^ McKinnell, Jamie (13 February 2020). "Chris Dawson committed to stand trial for alleged murder of wife Lynette Dawson". News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  31. ^ Parkes-Hupton, Heath (30 August 2022). "Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering ex-wife Lynette in The Teacher's Pet trial: as it happened". ABC.net.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Chris Dawson begins appeal against murder verdict in NSW court". The Guardian.
  33. ^ "Court appeal begins for Sydney teacher Chris Dawson after being convicted of murdering wife Lynette Simms in 1982". ABC News.
  34. ^ "Dawson hangs appeal hat on dubious sighting". The Australian.
  35. ^ "'Lies and half-truths': Top court rejects Chris Dawson's murder appeal". Sydney Morning Herald.
  36. ^ "Chris Dawson's first interaction with former student was returning a topless photo to her, court hears". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  37. ^ Mitchell, Georgina (28 June 2023). "Chris Dawson found guilty of unlawful sexual relationship with student". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  38. ^ Mitchell, Georgina (15 September 2023). "Chris Dawson jailed for three years over unlawful sexual relationship with student". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  39. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela; Mitchell, Georgina (13 September 2023). "Chris Dawson's former student sues state of NSW for failing to stop grooming, sexual abuse". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  40. ^ "Predator Dawson's schoolgirl abuse victim settles lawsuit against state". Dailytelegraph.com.au.
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