Current Trial The Teachers Pet Podcast & Chris Dawson's Murder Trial * New Carnal Knowledge Trial

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* Chris Dawson - CONVICTED

Lyn’s husband, who denies murder lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with his third wife. A former first grade rugby league player for the Newtown Jets in the 1970s, was a sports teacher at Sydney’s Cromer High School in 1980 when he started a sexual relationship with a Year 11 student. Chris said Lyn had left him and the girls on January 9, 1982 because she told him she wanted to have a few days away. He moved his young lover in almost immediately. Two coroners have ruled he murdered Lyn in January 1982. No charges laid because the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was insufficient evidence.

Just clocked 500,000 downloads. UPDATE: Over three million downloads LATEST: Twenty seven million downloads. And a Gold Walkley.

dawsons.jpg


https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ne...k=09937961c4f144701f84e5d00006f8a4-1529055356
 
Sep 20, 2007
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Have been listening to this podcast and it is well done. Thoroughly researched and laid out nicely. The husband is guilty as hell but the backstory of what was allowed to happen between teachers and students at Cromer High is also disturbing. Well worth a listen and I'm looking forward to future episodes.
 
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Have been listening to this podcast and it is well done. Thoroughly researched and laid out nicely. The husband is guilty as hell but the backstory of what was allowed to happen between teachers and students at Cromer High is also disturbing. Well worth a listen and I'm looking forward to future episodes.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. It's had a lot of downloads, not much interest here which is a bit surprising but I've had men say they find it a bit boring.

As a woman, I've found this podcast almost as frightening as casefile's pod on the EAR. Can't think of a worse end really in those circumstances, murdered by someone you loved when every man and his dog knew it, robbed of life, raising your kids and a teenager moving into the house you built to assume your role. Things have changed that he wouldn't get away with that now, I hope.
 

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GreyBudgie

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Great podcast, still episodes to come I find it a very disturbing case. The police and authorities did not seem interested in Lynette Dawson disapearing into thin air only a token effort following up in 1982 and took the husband Chris Dawson words of her shooting through as fact. Two NSW coronial inquests have concluded that Lyn has probably been murdered. unless the Body is found I guess no charges will be made?

Also the alleged grooming of students by Male teachers in Sydney during this time is also disgusting.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/2...le-teachers-groomed-sydney-schoolgirls-in-80s

The amount of people who did nothing or turned a blind eye, Once knew a guy who grew up in Sydney during this period late 70's early 80's who said If you were a Rugby League Player at the time, the police seemed to give you a wide berth and it was like carrying a get of gaol free card.

Then you have this also happening at around the same time, same city to the gay community, and again not given the attention it should of have.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...rimes-strike-force-finds-20180626-p4znv7.html
 
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Great podcast, still episodes to come I find it a very disturbing case. The police and authorities did not seem interested in Lynette Dawson disapearing into thin air only a token effort following up in 1982 and took the husband Chris Dawson words of her shooting through as fact. Two NSW coronial inquests have concluded that Lyn has probably been murdered. unless the Body is found I guess no charges will be made?

It's interesting one of the neighbours, a friend of Lyn's is so adamant and determined that Lyn's buried somewhere on the property. Something might come of it ..

Episode 7 is out.

Episode 7: The Rings
On January 15, 1984, Chris and Joanne wed at Bayview. With no veil, and in a non-traditional dress, the young bride looked like a flower girl. On her hand, she wore Lyn’s rings. Chris’s brother Paul and his wife Marilyn were witnesses, but there was something Marilyn didn’t know. A secret existed between the brothers and Joanne.

Gut churning gross, he took all the rings off her hands?

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-teachers-pet?nk=09937961c4f144701f84e5d00006f8a4-1530174739
 
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It's interesting one of the neighbours, a friend of Lyn's is so adamant and determined that Lyn's buried somewhere on the property. Something might come of it ..

Episode 7 is out.

Episode 7: The Rings
On January 15, 1984, Chris and Joanne wed at Bayview. With no veil, and in a non-traditional dress, the young bride looked like a flower girl. On her hand, she wore Lyn’s rings. Chris’s brother Paul and his wife Marilyn were witnesses, but there was something Marilyn didn’t know. A secret existed between the brothers and Joanne.

Gut churning gross, he took all the rings off her hands?

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-teachers-pet?nk=09937961c4f144701f84e5d00006f8a4-1530174739
Halfway through listening to this episode. The series is starting to drag. A lot of time is taken up listening to witnesses (sometimes second and third hand) drone on about facts that are already known. I'm starting to feel that they are just padding hoping that something major will develop. It will be interesting to see where they take it from here as I don't feel they have a plan on how to conclude it at the moment.
 

GreyBudgie

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Halfway through listening to this episode. The series is starting to drag. A lot of time is taken up listening to witnesses (sometimes second and third hand) drone on about facts that are already known. I'm starting to feel that they are just padding hoping that something major will develop. It will be interesting to see where they take it from here as I don't feel they have a plan on how to conclude it at the moment.
I listened last night to episode seven, I note that there is at least two more episodes (8,9) bookmarked, unless Hedley Thomas can do a interview with Joanne Curtis or come up with some other new information, After the last two episodes I am also starting to feel it has been a tad to long and is now recycling information from previous episodes. Could of been condensed into maybe five podcasts?
 
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Cole Dammett

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Do shows like this prevent a fair trial? Would the longstanding community belief that Chris did it be enough to prevent a fair trial? Just curious as to whether a cold case with such a widely believed theory of the guilt of a suspect could stop a conviction ever being found
 
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Do shows like this prevent a fair trial? Would the longstanding community belief that Chris did it be enough to prevent a fair trial? Just curious as to whether a cold case with such a widely believed theory of the guilt of a suspect could stop a conviction ever being found

Not sure how that might weigh in when two coroners have found previously that Chris Dawson murdered Lyn. It's an interesting question.
 
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Do shows like this prevent a fair trial? Would the longstanding community belief that Chris did it be enough to prevent a fair trial? Just curious as to whether a cold case with such a widely believed theory of the guilt of a suspect could stop a conviction ever being found
Given that he has been nominated as the murderer in 2 inquests I don't think the defence could point to the podcast as an issue. I don't think he will be charged unless they find her body on the property which would make it pretty clear cut.
 
Listening to the podcast, he’s almost certainly guilty. He’s the only one with both the opportunity and the motivation to do so. Not sure whether the twin brother helped with the actual murder, but he definitely knows what happened.

That said, I can see why they haven’t prosecuted, even taking into account the poor initial police response. Without a body, all the evidence is circumstantial and a good defence attorney would be able to create enough doubt in a jury to lead to a finding of not guilty. When there’s no body, it’s so much harder to get a conviction - look at the Bradley Murdoch trial, even with a direct witness, there’s still doubt without a body. A coroner doesn’t need the same standard of proof as an actual trial to make a finding, so just because both coroner’s have come back with Chris as the murderer, doesn’t mean that a Supreme Court Jury will.

Hopefully, the awareness driven by the case will lead to a more detailed search of the Dawson property. That’s probably the best chance of finding the body. The second a body is found, Chris is done, as there’s never been any suggestion that anyone else could have killed Lyn by anyone.
 

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Some movement I think. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has apologised to Lyn Dawson’s family for police failings in the 36-year-old cold case.

"And in a further revelation, he said the NSW DPP had assigned the case to a lawyer who was “systematically” going through the police evidence to consider if there was enough to lay charges over Lyn’s 1982 disappearance and suspected murder.

“Do I wish I could take back time, and do I wish the police at the time had assessed it differently, and do I wish that the people out there who knew more came forward? There’s a whole range of things that I’m sorry for."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/po...e/news-story/8432c87cfbc58c9cded5bfe1a19499b3

Another really awful part of this is that it wasn't just the police who failed to act.
 

sprockets

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I went to Mordialloc High for 6 months when I was in year 11 and one of the male teachers who was around 40yo (probably mid 30's but to a 16yo student older people always looked old) used to openly walk around hand in hand with a year 12 student. I didn't think much of it at the time and obviously neither did most others.
 
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I went to Mordialloc High for 6 months when I was in year 11 and one of the male teachers who was around 40yo (probably mid 30's but to a 16yo student older people always looked old) used to openly walk around hand in hand with a year 12 student. I didn't think much of it at the time and obviously neither did most others.

Something was going on with my tennis coach and one of the students at school, major scandal all hushed up but he was on the next bus out and I imagine never worked again. They were good at hushing things up.

On the other hand, my ex brother in law's 16yo daughter was caught having an affair with an older male teacher and going around to his house. He was so angry about it he wanted to pay someone to sort this bloke out. Brother in law was another teacher. Required an intervention before it got out of control.
 
So ... 10 is out and it's the longest one yet. Pace is picking up a bit, not a spoiler but imo Hedley Thomas has become suspicious Joanne was involved.


https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/the-teacher-s-pet

I think he’s just frustrated that she won’t talk. I don’t see the timeline lining up for her to be directly involved, although she possibly could have been involved in concealing the body.

The one I want to know about it Marilyn, Paul’s wife. Undoubtedly Paul knows what happened, but how much does she know?
 
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I think he’s just frustrated that she won’t talk. I don’t see the timeline lining up for her to be directly involved, although she possibly could have been involved in concealing the body.

The one I want to know about it Marilyn, Paul’s wife. Undoubtedly Paul knows what happened, but how much does she know?

Was wondering about her as well, not much of a mention yet.

Did you catch the bit about Lyn's cardigan found buried around the pool with seventeen cuts in it?
 
Was wondering about her as well, not much of a mention yet.

Did you catch the bit about Lyn's cardigan found buried around the pool with seventeen cuts in it?

I think Hedley said that next episode will cover a lot of Paul and Marilyn, so hopefully we'll learn more.

Yeah, I did, I'm surprised that that didn't lead to further investigations at the time. Wonder if it's still around and can be tested for any forensic remenants.

I'm not sure stabbing would have been the way Chris did the deed if he did it. Based on the mother's diaries, it seems like he gave her a really stiff drink prior to the act occuring. Stabbing is much of a frenzy crime, if he did go to the length of drugging her prior to the killing of her, strangulation or suffocation seems like a more likely option. That's all supposition though.
 
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I'm not sure stabbing would have been the way Chris did the deed if he did it. Based on the mother's diaries, it seems like he gave her a really stiff drink prior to the act occuring. Stabbing is much of a frenzy crime, if he did go to the length of drugging her prior to the killing of her, strangulation or suffocation seems like a more likely option. That's all supposition though.

Agree, I dont think Lyn was wearing the cardigan when it was cut but imo someone who bore a lot of malice towards her was responsible. If I found an item of my clothing with seventeen cuts in it, I'd want to know who did it and I'd be watching my back.
 

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