Chris Dawson pleads not guilty to murdering wife
Courts establish guilt or innocence, but their don't chart the twisted depths a mind like that of Chris Dawson. Photo: AAP
Former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to his wife Lynette’s murder in the Supreme Court.
The 71-year-old faced a committal hearing earlier this year and has always denied killing his wife, who disappeared almost 40 years ago.
Lynette Dawson was last seen on Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982 and her body has never been found.
The case was extensively examined in the popular Teacher’s Pet podcast produced by The Australian, which was taken offline to prevent prejudicing legal proceedings.
In February, the former Newtown Jets rugby league player faced a four-day committal hearing where four witnesses gave evidence in court that they saw Ms Dawson after she vanished.
Lyn Dawson is thought to have gone missing in 1982, but neighbour claimed they saw her years after. Photo: Supplied
One of the witnesses was Mr Dawson’s brother-in-law, Ross Hutcheon, who said he saw Ms Dawson at a bus stop near a hospital in Gladesville about three-to-six months after she went missing.
Mr Hutcheon said he reported the sighting to a pair of police officers who visited him in 1999.
The other witnesses included neighbours Jill Breese and her husband Peter, who claimed they saw her working as a nurse in a private hospital and contacted police after seeing a missing person article in 1988 or 1988.
The fourth was was Elva McBay, 101, who believed she saw Ms Dawson during a visit by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Sydney in 1983.
Mr Dawson’s trial has been estimated to take place late this year.
More to come.
