Teacher’s Pet podcast: Police ‘dropped the ball’ in Lyn Dawson case, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says

The NSW Police Commissioner has spoken for the first time on the new investigation into the disappearance of Lyn Dawson.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Picture: Justin Lloyd

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has conceded police “dropped the ball” in the 1980s after the disappearance and suspected murder of Lyn Dawson.

But Mr Fuller insists recent investigations into the case by Sydney homicide detectives have been “extraordinary”.

Listen: The Teacher’s Pet podcast

“I would say we dropped the ball in the 80s, like many other people did with this case,” Mr Fuller told Miranda Devine’s program Miranda Live today.

It is the first time NSW’s top police officer has commented since The Australian’s investigative podcast The Teacher’s Pet was launched in May.

He said police had been reluctant to talk about a recent reinvestigation because of concerns it could impact a future prosecution.

As revealed by The Australian, homicide detectives began a reinvestigation in 2015 and police this year took a new brief of evidence to the NSW DPP, asking whether there was now enough evidence to lay charges.

“The work that has been happening in the last couple of years (has) been extraordinary,” Mr Fuller said.

“We used ground-penetrating radar in 1990, 91, 99, and 2016.

“We dug in 2000 and 2016. We had a burial site expert come and map the entire block in 2015. We’ve had cadaver dogs there as well.

“But I get this sense of feeling from the community that we haven’t been there and we haven’t done anything.

“I know there will be frustration because we couldn’t share, or we felt as though we didn’t want to compromise the brief.”

Lynette Dawson.

Lyn disappeared from Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches in January 1982.

Two separate coroners found she was murdered by her husband, former Newtown Jets rugby league star Chris Dawson, but he was not charged.

Mr Dawson denies killing his wife.

“When a case is closed or the matter has been finalised in court, we often partnership with the media in telling these interesting stories,” Mr Fuller said.

“But this was a case where we had been reinvestigating this homicide and we as late as April this year had sent a new brief of evidence to the department of prosecutions in New South Wales.

“When we’re in that situation it makes it very, very difficult for us to engage in commentary.

“So there’s been this real balance — how do we protect the prosecution but not lose face with the community?”

The silent approach adopted by police during the highly popular and ongoing podcast series — which has had more than two million downloads in nine episodes — would have to change in future to take into account public engagement and the leads generated.

He said he had spoken to The Australian’s national chief correspondent Hedley Thomas on Friday.

Lynette Dawson, right, with Chris Dawson.

“Whilst we agreed to disagree on some points, what we both wanted was justice for Lyn Dawson.

“The positive point is if there are any fresh leads or any fresh information he will provide those to NSW police and we are going to meet with Hedley.

“There is certainly no criticism of The Australian or Hedley.

“But people need to understand that if we openly engaged in this podcast it may have compromised a future prosecution of someone for this case. It’s a real balancing act for me.

“But the challenge is going forward, if these podcasts are going to be a popular forum, NSW police needs to find a position where we’re not compromising the brief of evidence, but at the same time it seems to have generated so much information and new evidence that we still need to be part of it somehow.

“These are some of the challenges in a changing media environment.”

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