Chris Dawson’s birthday cards and school reports to alleged teenage abuse victim revealed

Secret messages Chris Dawson sent a teenage student he is accused of abusing have been revealed, including an alleged hidden “sexual” note.

Some of the “hundreds” of cards and notes former Sydney school teacher Chris Dawson allegedly sent the 16-year-old student he was infatuated with have been released in court documents.

The files include a school report in which the convicted wife killer called the young girl a “pleasure to teach,” which the prosecution argued was a cryptic reference to his alleged sexual abuse of the student.

The now-74-year-old is on trial in the NSW District Court charged with one charge of carnal knowledge of a girl by a teacher – a 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 teenager, known only as AB, in 1980.

The notes were allegedly left outside the teenager’s class.

One of the notes released on Wednesday, which was accompanied by a drawing of a woman sitting in a flower pot, read: “Without you around to wuv … I would go to pot”.

Another, which was written alongside a disturbing photo of a near-naked woman, read “Do I wuv you? Let me count the ways” and was followed by a string of numbers.

One card read: “The most beautiful girl in the world on her 17th birthday, while one dated Christmas 1980, read: “Happy Christmas. Once or twice every minute. Love always. God.”

One of Dawson’s notes to the teen

Among the documents released to court was a school report which was discussed on the first day of Dawson’s trial.

The notes at the bottom of the year-11 sports class report read: “(AB) worked well in class and made valuable contributions. A very pleasant personality — a pleasure to teach”.

While AB was giving evidence, crown prosecutor, Emma Blizard, earlier asked her about the meaning of the words “pleasure to teach”.

‘Do I wuv you?’ one card read

“He wasn’t referring to teaching sport coaching — he was referring to lessons I’d learned in sexual activity,” she told the court.

“Because he told me so, and he thought it was very clever to put that on a public document — very cunning”.

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.

Dawson’s legal team has argued it did not start until AB turned 17.

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.

The school report Dawson wrote of AB which was tendered to court.

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, sending her “hundreds” of notes outside class.

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

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.

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 birthday cards and school reports to alleged teenage abuse victim revealed