Justice at last for Lyn: wife killer Chris Dawson to die in jail

If he’s still alive at the end of his non-parole period for the murder of wife Lyn, the former footballer will face another hurdle | New podcast episode

Former high school teacher Chris Dawson has been condemned to spend the rest of his life in prison for the “selfish and cynical” murder of his wife Lyn 40 years ago so he could continue a relationship with a teenage girl.

The 74-year-old’s plea for a ­reduced sentence due to mass publicity associated with The Australian’s podcast The Teacher’s Pet was expressly rejected by judge Ian Harrison SC, who ­declared Dawson was “the author of his own misfortune”.

A blameless Lyn, 33, was blind­sided by her husband’s act of fatal violence in their home at Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches in January 1982, Justice Harrison said.

The judge said he was obliged to “impose a sentence that satisfies the community’s expectations of punishment, retribution and denunciation”.

The sentence of 24 years’ ­imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 years means Dawson will be 92 years old before he is ­eligible for release.

If still alive, he will then face “no body, no parole” laws, introduced in NSW as a result of his conviction, blocking his freedom unless he assists in recovering Lyn’s remains.

Wearing a green prison-issued tracksuit, Dawson remained ­seated in courtroom 13A of the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney until he was asked by Justice ­Harrison to stand in the final ­moments.

He showed no emotion as the sentence was read aloud in front of a packed public gallery. More people crowded into the overflow Banco court.

Afterwards, Lyn’s brother Greg Simms requested outside court that his sister now be known as Lynette Joy Simms. “We just want to reclaim her. Chris Dawson discarded her and we want to get her back,’’ Mr Simms said.

Lyn’s brother Greg Simms with wife Merilyn. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

His wife Merilyn expressed ­relief that their long fight for justice was finally over. “No sentence is long enough for taking someone’s life,” Ms Simms said.

“But I think that the judge has really thought this through incredibly carefully. And I think he’s certainly got it right.”

Justice Harrison had to punish Dawson in line with sentencing practices of four decades ago, when murder typically attracted a lesser sentence than if the same crime were committed today.

Laws introduced in NSW this year that generally require ­offenders convicted of historical crimes to be sentenced according to current practices did not apply because Dawson was charged ­beforehand.

Justice Harrison said a just sentence had to recognise “the human dignity of the victim of domestic violence” and the ­public’s legitimate interest in the “denunciation and punishment of someone who kills his spouse”.

Justice Harrison added: “Even though such expectations must be tempered by the need to extend mercy where appropriate, I ­recognise that the unavoidable prospect is that Mr Dawson will probably die in jail.”

The judge said it was unnecessary to detail all the facts, but ran through a brief summary beginning with Chris and Lyn’s marriage in March 1970.

Chris and Paul Dawson in their playing days. Picture: Supplied

A decade later, Dawson ­commenced a sexual relationship with JC, his student at Cromer High School, who became the family’s babysitter.

After Boxing Day 1981, ­Dawson started losing his influence on JC.

She had just finished high school and had gone away with friends to South West Rocks, 450km north of Sydney.

“JC had communicated her desire to end their relationship around this time and Mr Dawson did not want that to occur,” Justice Harrison said.

“The prospect of losing her ­distressed, frustrated and ultimately overwhelmed Mr Dawson to the point that he resolved to kill his wife. It was neither spontaneous nor unavoidable.”

Dawson must have known the injury, emotional harm and loss he would cause by murdering Lyn for his “selfless and cynical purpose”, Justice Harrison said.

Consistent with his ongoing claims of innocence, Dawson had expressed no remorse, the judge said.

But the judge took into ­account several testimonials that spoke to the former Newtown Jets rugby league player being a “loving father, a doting grandfather and a loving and loyal husband”.

His youngest daughter with Lyn as well as the daughter he had with JC were among those to give statements of support.

In the opposing camp, eldest daughter Shanelle Dawson and Lyn’s siblings gave powerful victim impact statements about “their painful uncertainty over four ­decades about the fate of their mother or sister”.

Discussing the effect of The Teacher’s Pet podcast, Justice Harrison said the publicity had “undoubtedly been intense”.

He added: “That is to some ­extent a function of the several decades over and during which speculation about Lynette ­Dawson’s fate has managed to ­foment.

“I would be sympathetic to Mr Dawson’s concern that the media attention will continue to have an adverse impact upon him if it were not for the fact that I am unable to agree that, whatever may have been the position before his trial, it will continue to be ­unfair following his conviction.

Court sketch of Chris Dawson. Picture: Vincent de Gouw/ NCA NewsWire

“Simply put, Mr Dawson’s crime is a matter of intense public interest and the attention he has received is directly referable to that interest.

“It would be otherwise if media reports had significantly mis­represented his crime in a way that created a false perception of what he had done.

“His major complaint, when properly understood, is that the publicity improperly made ­assumptions about his guilt at a time when he was entitled to the presumption of innocence.

“Mr Dawson has now been convicted of the crime which ­attracted the publicity in question. In those circumstances, as harsh as it may sound to say so, Mr Dawson is now the author of his own ­misfortune.”

Dawson’s deteriorating health was a key pillar of sentencing submissions by his defence lawyer Greg Walsh.

Mr Walsh suggested Dawson had a degenerative brain disease – chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE – from repeated head knocks during his football career.

Justice Harrison noted the health issues and said a psychiatrist, Olav Nielssen, diagnosed Dawson as suffering a depressive illness.

Dawson’s only known ­supporter in court other than his lawyer was his older brother Peter, who later said: “My brother is innocent, that’s all I’ll say.”

Justice Harrison found otherwise, saying Lyn was treated as completely dispensable.

“Lynette Dawson was faultless and undeserving of her fate,” Justice Harrison said.

“Despite the deteriorating state of her marriage to Mr Dawson, she was undoubtedly also completely unsuspecting.

“ Tragically her death deprived her young daughters of their mother.”

Dawson’s sentence was backdated to his conviction on August 30. His non-parole period will expire on August 29, 2040.