Chris Dawson says he got through time in prison by ‘knowing’ he had family support

Accused murderer Chris Dawson has been seen swimming in his pool on Christmas Day hours after he was released on the bail. The 70-year-old told The Daily Telegraph he “just really needs a break”. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Chris Dawson spoke to The Daily Telegraph at his Mount Coolum home on Christmas Day. Picture: Derrick Krusche

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Accused wife killer Chris Dawson has broken his silence, saying he “needs a break” a day after being released from prison.

The 70-year-old has returned to Queensland to spend Christmas at his Mount Coolum home, where he lives with his third wife Susan, three weeks after being arrested and charged over the murder of his first wife Lyn in Sydney in 1982.

Speaking from his pool on Christmas morning and dressed in a red rashy and board shorts, a stressed and tired Dawson told The Daily Telegraph he was struggling to cope after being held behind bars in Silverwater Correctional Complex.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

“Yeah look, yeah I’m well thanks — I just really need a break,” he said.

When asked what got him through his time in prison, Dawson said “knowing” he had the support of his family.

“Knowing … no, no comment,” he said.

“(Knowing what? Thinking about family?) Yep.”

Dawson’s bail documents were rejected on Friday and Saturday due to complications in the paperwork before he was released on Christmas Eve on a $1.5 million surety after a last-minute scramble to file everything at Parramatta Local Court.

Located under the shadow of the rocky mountain and close to the beach, his suburb’s quiet streets are home to expensive houses and well-manicured lawns.

Dawson with his brother Peter after his release from Silverwater. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

Dawson said he was “well” and “needed a break”. Picture: Derrick Krusche

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The former rugby league player and teacher intends to plead not guilty to killing his wife, who was 33 when she disappeared from Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982, leaving behind two young daughters.

Dawson’s one-time teenager lover moved into the family house when she was 16 after Lyn vanished.

Dawson outside Silverwater before returning to Queensland. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Lyn’s body has never been found.

It’s believed the case will not proceed to a trial until at least 2020 — a factor that helped convince a magistrate to release Dawson on bail.

He must stay at the Mount Coolum house, where he lives with Susan, and report to a local police station daily until the case returns to the courts.

Chris and Susan Dawson have been married for almost 30 years.

Younger than Chris, Susan has stood by her husband during intense public scrutiny over Lyn’s disappearance.