Chris Dawson’s alleged victim gives evidence in convicted killer’s carnal knowledge trial

A friend of Chris Dawson’s former student allegedly walked into his office to find a 16-year-old schoolgirl “on his lap,” a court has heard.

A friend of Chris Dawson’s former student allegedly walked into his office to find a 16-year-old schoolgirl “on his lap” after she’d “gone missing” every lunch time, a court has heard.

The 74-year-old convicted killer is on trial in the NSW District Court charged with one charge of carnal knowledge of a girl by a teacher – an historic charge meaning sexual intercourse with a minor.

Police allege he was a sports teacher in his 30s at Cromer High School in Sydney’s northern beaches when he began a relationship with the then-16-year-old girl, known only as AB, in 1980.

Giving evidence, another former Cromer High School student told the court she was best friends with AB and would spend every lunch and recess with her until the middle of the year-11 school year.

Her close-knit friendship circle started to wonder why AB “started going missing from the lunch time group”.

“We would see her going to Dawson’s office and we knew she was in there for the whole of recess and lunch,” she said.

“It increased to the point it was every recess and every lunch. Once I saw her sitting on his lap in the office and once he got angry at us for knocking on the door”.

“Once I saw that, I thought - there’s more to this”.

The woman told the court when the teen was asked about what was happening, she said dawson was “trying to help her and help her (difficult home) situation... he was being kind to her, listening to her, giving her guidance and this is why she needed to be in his office”.

But when the student “started disappearing from the social calendar on weekends,” the friend said they knew she was with Dawson.

“By the end of the year we were not seeing her,” she said.

“She told us that year that he loved her and she did say to us ‘he wants to marry me’”.

Whether Dawson is found guilty will depend on whether the sexual relationship – which the defence does not deny occurred – began when the girl was 16 and his student.

Christopher Dawson during his trial for the murder of his wife Lynette. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins

Dawson’s legal team has argued it did not start until AB turned 17. Defence barrister Claire Wasley suggested to the childhood friend she did not see AB on Dawson’s lap when she was in year 11.

Continuing her evidence on day two of the trial, AB told the court Dawson groomed her into a sexual relationship in which he would take her to a cove called Little Manly every Friday night and they would engage in sexual activity.

“He would say ‘this is how I’m going to help you … I’ve started helping you with sexual stuff and I’m going to continue to help you.”

Crown prosecutor Emma Blizard asked AB about exams Dawson held when he was her year-11 physical education teacher.

Chris Dawson and Lynette Dawson in 1966. Picture: Supplied

“I recall a written exam,” AB told the court.

“I remember the last question was a convoluted thing you had to write, and my friend, who was next to me, thought it’d be funny if I wrote something exotic because we were involved (sexually) at that point … and I wrote something to that effect”.

AB said she probably wrote words about “the kinds of things we were doing” when he had a shocking reaction.

“It was to him alone, the sexual partner, could I say, that he was,” she said.

Crown Prosecutor Emma Blizard (left). Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

“And when he saw my exam, he tore off that portion of the exam and gave me a zero as a mark. As a 16-year-old, you don’t understand why this is going on”.

Earlier in the trial, AB told the court she once engaged in sexual activity with Dawson in a pool while his twin brother was up the other end of it with another young girl.

She said he had fought to have her in his year-11 class, got his hands on a topless photo of her and began paying her immense attention before beginning the sexual relationship.

The court heard allegations Dawson first abused AB in his parent’s bed in Maroubra while they were away. Mz Blizard submitted the sexual activity continued in his school office, “behind closed doors” during fitness classes and eventually his own home.

Chris’ twin brother Peter Dawson supported him for the first day of the carnal knowledge trial. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

Last December, Dawson was sentenced to a maximum of 24 years prison with a non-parole period of 18 years after he was found guilty of murdering his wife, Lynette, in 1982.

During the sentencing, Justice Ian Harrison said Dawson would likely die in jail, as he will be eligible for parole in 2040.

Throughout the high-profile proceedings, Dawson’s legal team argued 33-year-old Lynette walked out on the family after her trust was broken due to her husband’s behaviour.

But Justice Harrison found the only logical explanation for Lynette’s disappearance from their Bayview house was that he killed her.

Dawson’s lawyers have lodged an intention to appeal his guilty verdict for murder.

The carnal knowledge trial continues before Judge Sarah Huggett.

Originally published as Chris Dawson’s alleged victim gives evidence in convicted killer’s carnal knowledge trial