Chris Dawson told woman Lynette was in Blue Mountains ‘commune’, court hears

A woman claims she was told by Chris Dawson his wife was living in a Blue Mountains commune, decades after she vanished, a court has heard.

Chris Dawson told a woman at a BBQ that his missing wife Lynette had run off to the Blue Mountains, in an encounter which left her thinking the ex-teacher was “creepy”, a court has heard.

Mr Dawson, 73, is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court where he has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Lynette, who went missing from their Sydney northern beaches home 40 years ago.

The former rugby league player’s lawyers have argued she was seen on several occasions in and around Sydney since she went missing on January 8, 1982 and ran away of her own volition.

Her body has never been found and she has never contacted any of her friends and family – including her two children.

Kay Sinclair told the court she met Chris Dawson at a living wake for a friend, Phil Day, in 2007 when they struck up a conversation about their families.

Chris Dawson has argued his former wife Lynette was seen several times after going missing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“He said his wife had left to either join a commune, or something like that, in the Blue Mountains,” Ms Sinclair told the court on Monday.

Under cross-examination from Mr Dawson’s lawyer, Greg Walsh, she denied making up the interaction.

“I’m not a liar,” Sinclair said.

She told the court Paul Dawson joined the conversation and the brothers were sitting “very close” to each other.

“I said, ‘What sort of mother would leave her children?’” Ms Sinclair said.

She said Chris did not respond, but “Paul said something along the lines of ‘she was a little bit crazy’.”

The court was told Ms Sinclair had told journalist Hedley Thomas, who wrote the Teacher’s Pet podcast which examined the case, that she found it “creepy” how close the brothers sat next to each other.

Ms Sinclair said she had worked in recruiting for 30 years and was adept at reading body language.

“Because they were twin brothers and they were close together, that concerned you,” Mr Walsh asked.

“My observation was that I think Chris was checking with his older twin that he was saying the right thing,” Ms Sinclair said.

“That was the impression that I got.”

Kay Sinclair told the court that Chris Dawson told her Lynette was living in the Blue Mountains. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw.

Meanwhile, a former cop has denied telling his ex-schoolmate Mr Dawson that Lynette was living well in New Zealand, the court has heard.

During a police interview in Queensland in 1991, Mr Dawson told detectives there had been several sightings of Ms Dawson reported to him.

He claimed that during a 1985 Sydney Boys High School reunion, a former schoolmate, Ian Kennedy, who was at the time with the NSW Police drug squad, had told him that Ms Dawson was living in New Zealand.

However, in giving evidence in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, Mr Kennedy denied ever having that conversation.

“That’s incorrect – I had no information at all about Lyn Dawson’s appearance in New Zealand or anywhere,” Mr Kennedy said.

Chris and Lynette Dawson on their wedding day. Picture: Supplied

Former police officer Ian Kennedy said he never told Chris Dawson that Lynette was in New Zealand. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

During his police interview, Mr Dawson claimed Mr Kennedy was affected by alcohol at the 1985 reunion.

“In combination of being at a reunion and affected by alcohol, having a good relationship with Chris, you said, ‘Look mate, she’s OK, she’s in New Zealand’,” Mr Dawson’s lawyer, Greg Walsh, asked.

“I dispute being affected by alcohol,” Mr Kennedy said.

“But I had nothing to do with any inquiry with Lynette Dawson.”

The court has been told that several former Dawson family friends and extended family members claimed to have spotted Ms Dawson around Sydney and the Central Coast since she vanished.

However, the former officer in charge of the investigation, Damian Loone, on Friday told the court that those sightings had turned out to be false and there were no government records of Ms Dawson being alive after January 1982.

Elva McBay told the court that she believed she saw Ms Dawson at a royal parade in 1983. Picture: 7 NEWS

The court was told on Monday that Dawson family friend Elva McBay believed she saw Ms Dawson during a royal parade for Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Sydney on March 28, 1983.

Ms McBay was 101-years-old when she gave evidence to the Downing Centre Local Court in February 2020, however has since died.

The court was played video of her local court testimony, during which she said she was with her husband on Macquarie St when she saw a woman run across the road just before the royal procession arrived.

She said she was standing outside the Sydney Hospital when she saw a woman go past her.

The court has previously been told that Ms Dawson was a registered nurse.

“She pushed in front of the barricade and the police front escort, the motorbike police, were almost up it when it happened,” Ms McBay said.

“She ducked under, she stood up, she turned quickly to see where the procession was, and I saw her face for a few seconds.

“Then she ran straight across in front of the motorbikes. Terribly dangerous.”

Princess Diana and Prince Charles during their royal tour of Sydney in 1983. Picture: News Corp

Ms McBay also told the court of walking into the kitchen, during a birthday party for one of the Dawsons’ children, to find a tearful and “distraught” Lynette.

“She was crying, she was trembling and I had never seen her in such a state ever,” Ms McBay said.

“So I said, ‘Whatever is wrong, Lyn’ … She said ‘I’ve had the most dreadful row with (JC) this morning.

“She said, ‘She wants to get rid of me.’”

The trial continues.