Teacher sex verdict a crucial win

The guilty verdict for unlawful carnal knowledge of a schoolgirl against convicted killer Chris Dawson extends the public good resulting from the journalistic probing of an issue that had been badly mishandled by the justice system for far too long. As a result of Wednesday’s decision by District Court of NSW judge Sarah Huggett, it is possible that other, similar complaints could be brought to trial. The trial of Dawson – who was sentenced last year to 24 years’ jail with a non-parole period of 18 years for murdering his wife, Lynette, 40 years ago – has had ramifications that extend beyond the case. It has shone a light on claims of depraved and opportunistic behaviour by some teachers who worked on the northern beaches of Sydney in the 1980s.

Another teacher, Lee Joyce Dunbar, 69, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a student more than 40 years ago. The charges against her were the result of an investigation by Strike Force Southwood, which was set up by NSW police to investigate improper student-teacher relationships at high schools on the northern beaches in the ’70s and ’80s. The complainant told the court the experience had a devastating impact on her life. She approached the police taskforce as a result of The Australian’s podcast The Teacher’s Pet.

With the successful prosecution of Dawson for carnal knowledge it is likely that other cases now will be brought to court. It is further confirmation of the power of good journalism. When Dawson was convicted of murder, we editorialised that national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas had persisted and prevailed where NSW police, the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, two coronial inquests and the justice system failed for decades. We said it was a powerful affirmation of the duty of good journalism to not be cowed by the collegiate demands of powerful institutions that purport to serve the public interest. This criticism can be extended to a public education system that clearly failed to exercise its duty of care and protect the basic rights and safety of the young people in its care.

Wednesday’s verdict shows that those who make a complaint about events that took place decades earlier will be taken seriously by the courts. Judge Huggett found that the evidence of the complainant that the accused had sexual intercourse with her at Maroubra between July 1, 1980, and December 12, 1980, when she was his student was supported by a large amount of evidence.

The shameful behaviour of teachers during that period would not have been exposed had it not been for the tenacious reporting of a team of journalists on this newspaper. The wheels of justice have been too slow to act but justice is finally coming for those who exploited their position and the vulnerable young people in their care.