Teacher’s Pet case: Chris Dawson on teen sex charge

Chris Dawson was charged with a sex offence against a 16-year-old girl when he was a teacher on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Chris Dawson leaves Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to murdering his first wife, Lyn. Picture: AAP

Former star footballer Chris Dawson was charged yesterday with a sex offence against a 16-year-old girl when he was a teacher on Sydney’s northern beaches, within hours of pleading not guilty to murdering his wife.

Detectives from Strike Force Southwood charged the 70-year-old with carnal knowledge.

The strike force was established last July to investigate ­allegations in The Australian’s podcast series The Teacher’s Pet of sexual assaults and student-teacher relationships at northern beaches schools in the 1970s and 1980s.

NSW police say the investig­ation is ongoing, raising the prospec­t that further charges could arise against either Mr Dawson or other teachers.

The podcast examined Mr Dawson’s alleged murder of his first wife, Lyn, who disappeared in January 1982 when he was a teacher at Cromer High School.

Mr Dawson arrived at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday more than an hour early for a 9.30am court appearance on the murder charge.

The former Newtown Jets rugby league player has been on bail in Queensland, subject to strict conditions.

Dressed in a suit and tie for the hearing, Mr Dawson formally ­entered a not guilty plea to ­murder.

His lawyer, Greg Walsh, and senior crown prosecutor Craig Everson told the court the charge certificate was filed electronically on Wednesday with the formal plea. Both parties proposed that a five-day hearing take place next February.

“That’s sort of stretching the friendship, isn’t it?” Chief Magistrate Michael Allen asked.

“Given the nature of the ­matter — it goes back 37 years — it is my hope that we could be accomm­odated,” Mr Walsh said.

Mr Allen said the murder trial was entering “uncharted waters”.

Mr Everson said: “It’s unprecedented, Your Honour.”

After the hearing, Mr Walsh went on the front foot outside court, releasing selective parts of the evidence to the media.

Just after noon, Mr Dawson was at Surry Hills police station, where he was charged with the ­offence of “carnal knowledge — teacher of girl”.

Police will allege he engaged in carnal knowledge with a female student, then 16, in 1980. NSW laws prohibit identification of the alleged victim.

The Australian understands at the time it was an offence punishable with up to 14 years’ imprisonment for teachers to have sex with female students under 17.

Former Cromer High School vice-captain Robyn Wheeler was the first to raise concerns in the podcast about teachers preying on students.

“I’m delighted that women who were girls at the time are now being heard and taken seriously,” Ms Wheeler said yesterday.

Mr Dawson was granted strict conditional bail on the carnal knowledge charge to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 8 — the same date as his next court appearance on the murder charge.

A Law Society of NSW spokeswoman declined to comment on Mr Walsh publicly discussing evidence.

During The Teacher’s Pet ­series, by the paper’s national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas, allegations were made against about 20 teachers from three high schools — Cromer, Forest and Beacon Hill.

It was alleged a “pack” of teachers at northern beaches schools pursued teenage girls for sex.

One former student, who later became a teacher, said the ­relationships were treated like a “fringe benefit” of the job.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn has been instructed to act for six people over allegations of historical abuse at schools on Sydney’s northern beaches, The Australian revealed last month.

At a police press conference in Sydney, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, from the child abuse and sex crimes squad, would not name the man charged. A reporter asked: “How did Chris Dawson react when he was charged?”

Superintendent Kerlatec responded: “The person charged has been given bail and will be appearing in court. I can’t say much more than that.”

Police had arranged with the man’s lawyers for him to be brought to the police station after a court appearance earlier in the day, he said.

Carnal knowledge was the ­relevant charge under the law in 1980 and relates to a sex offence between an adult and a minor.

“All sexual assaults are treated very seriously,” Superintendent Kerlatec said.

Strike Force Southwood was set up by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad and has also ­involved detectives from Northern Beaches Police Area Command.

Mr Walsh yesterday twice asked for Mr Dawson’s bail to be varied so he could visit his stepson and another family member on the Gold Coast.

Mr Dawson was charged with the murder of his first wife last December after she disappeared in 1982.

The Teacher’s Pet podcast is currently unavailable in Australia, pending Mr Dawson’s murder trial.

Additional reporting: Elias ­Visontay