Hedley Thomas: moment I knew Chris Dawson was doomed

Hedley Thomas reveals the moment he realised Christopher Dawson was going to jail.

Journalist Hedley Thomas. Picture NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard.

Sitting just metres from Christopher Michael Dawson as the judge read out his verdict, Hedley Thomas was nervous.

In the front row of the public and media gallery, Thomas – the creator of The Teacher’s Pet podcast that led to Dawson being charged – was sitting next to Lyn Dawson’s sister-in-law Merilyn.

The pair were gripping hands.

As the judge read out his epic reasons, and the suspense mounted as to whether he would convict Dawson or acquit him, Thomas and Mrs Simms comforted one another.

“Merilyn would squeeze my hand or my knee, and I would squeeze hers in turn,” Thomas said. “We were both very unnerved and nervous about what we were hearing.”

Fifteen minutes into the judgment, Justice Harrison delivered a critical finding: he declared he was satisfied, beyond reasonable doubt, that Dawson had lied about receiving a call from Lyn at the Northbridge Baths on Saturday, January 9, 1982: the day after the crown alleged he killed her. It wasn’t yet a finding of guilt; but it was a powerful hint that Dawson was going down.

Thomas said: “And then ­(Justice Harrison) said that he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson had died on about January 8, 1982.

“So given those findings, I was suddenly thinking: ‘He’s going to slot Chris Dawson for murder. There must be a verdict coming really soon’. And it didn’t come for so long. We were waiting, waiting. And then of course, the judge went back on all the ­evidence and other witnesses. He began excluding chunks of evidence that we thought would be compelling, and cogent and probative.

“As a result of him doing this, we went from this position of being quietly confident, in fact, almost sure he was going to convict – to then thinking this could end up, weirdly, resulting in a not-guilty verdict.

“I think because of the nervous energy, the adrenaline, the apprehension, all of the buildup, we were unable to process logically, the fact that once he had made those findings early on, Chris was doomed. There was no way out. He had to be ultimately found guilty.”

Thomas revealed that on the morning of the verdict, he and retired detective Damian Loone met Greg and ­Merilyn Simms outside the NSW Supreme Court and walked towards the building together.

“Merilyn looked quite worried,” Thomas said. “She said to me that she had just been told, I think by police, that the Dawson family – that is Paul Dawson and his wife Marilyn, and other members of the family – had come down from Queensland, we found this a little surprising.”

Paul Dawson, the identical twin of Christopher, had not been present at all during the 10-week trial.

“And here he was for Judgment Day. But Merilyn was certainly rattled by that. I think she just feared that there would be a confrontation.”

As it turned out, Paul Dawson did get involved in scuffles on both the way in and out of court; in the morning pushing a cameraman who bumped him, and in the afternoon getting involved in a melee with journalists following him, Peter and supporters through Hyde Park seeking a comment on the verdict.

After the verdict Greg and Merilyn Simms – with Thomas by their side – stood on the court steps and thanked the judge for finally delivering justice for Lyn.