Chris Dawson may be stripped of Lyn’s estate and more

Chris Dawson could be required to forfeit any wealth he has accumulated as a result of the alleged murder of his wife, Lyn.

Chris Dawson before being charged in Sydney last week. Picture: AAP

Chris Dawson could be required to forfeit any wealth he has accumulated as a result of the alleged murder of his wife, Lyn.

Forfeiture laws that bar ­people from profiting from their crimes mean that the couple’s children are in line to inherit Lyn’s estate or any financial ­benefit Mr Dawson received as a result of her death, if he is found guilty of her murder following his arrest last week.

Lawyers say that even if he is not convicted, a civil case can be launched seeking an order that on the balance of probabilities, he killed his wife and that the ­forfeiture rule applies.

Mr Dawson has strenuously denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance and his lawyer, Greg Walsh, says he will plead not guilty and seek bail at his next court appearance on Friday.

When Lyn vanished in January 1982, leaving behind two daughters aged four and two, the couple jointly owned a property at Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches, where they had built a house and pool.

The following year, with Lyn still missing, Mr Dawson formally sought a property settlement in court, saying she had abandoned her family and home.

All of Lyn’s assets, including her share of the Bayview property, were transferred to Mr Dawson’s name in 1984.

He sold the home that year and moved to Queensland with his new partner, his former ­student Joanne Curtis.

The Bayview property, which was dug up again by police in search of Lyn’s remains in September, last sold for $2.4 million in March last year.

Attwood Marshall Lawyers senior associate Lucy McPherson said a conviction would disqualify Mr Dawson from any financial benefit from her estate.

“Lynette’s two daughters are likely to be considered the next in line to inherit her estate or any financial benefit Chris received as a result of Lynette’s death,” she said.

In the event of Mr Dawson not being convicted, Lyn’s daughters could still apply for forfeiture of their mother’s ­estate.

“The fact that the person has been acquitted can’t be used as evidence of the person’s innocence in the civil proceedings,” she said.

“The first question for the court to consider would be whether on the balance of probabilities he has unlawfully killed Lynette Dawson.

“The second question for the court would be for the forfeiture rule to be applied.”

It would be a “very complex exercise” involving forensic ­accounting to work out the current value of Lyn’s estate.

“He’s been able to use that capital over time and I’m sure that has benefited him quite significantly over the last 36 years,” she said.

Mr Dawson has a home at Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and an investment property at Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast.