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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

Teacher's Pet Killer: Chilling 'long lost' handwritten note that led police to murderer

The man found guilty of murdering his wife 40 years ago was finally caught after police found women's clothing in his back garden and evidence from a podcast prompted police into action.

Former Rugby league star Chris Dawson was first accused of killing his ex-wife Lynette Dawson, who he lived with in Sydney's Northern Beaches, in 1982.

The guilty verdict marks a dramatic conclusion to a cold case that has gripped Australia since a 2018 podcast put pressure on police to revisit their investigation.

A 2003 inquest recommended charging Dawson with his wife's murder but prosecutors declined, citing a lack of evidence.

Her body was never found, but today Supreme Court judge Ian Harrison found Dawson guilty of deliberately killing his wife to pursue a relationship with a teenage student he was having an affair with and who babysat the couple's daughters.

The court head how the now-74-year-old had met and fallen for a teen student when he was a PE teacher at her school.

The babysitter - who went on to marry and have children with Dawson - testified in court how she was brought into the family home to babysit the couple's two daughters.

She previously claimed in court she was used like a sex slave and feared for her life.

At the same time as the release of the podcast, in which the journalist claimed to have uncovered new evidence in the case, police re-opened their own investigation.

The journalist had accused the original investigators of making serious errors back in the 80s and through the decades.

Here are some of the key discoveries that put the monster behind bars:

Teacher's Pet podcast

In May 2018, The Australian released a podcast called Teacher's Pet, hosted by acclaimed journalist Thomas Hedley.

Among the "new evidence" revealed in the show, which has been disputed by some outlets, Hedley took new statements from witnesses, family members and friends.

Some of these included accusations that Dawson emotionally abused both Lyn and JC, and questioned why renovations were made at the matrimonial home.

It also alleged that Dawson had a pattern of sexual impropriety, as did his twin brother who is also said to have had sex with the babysitter.

The podcast also shared how Dawson would drive past the Bayview home when he returned to Sydney.

After the show was released, there were a number of claims suggesting some of the evidence was obtained from unreliable sources, including a clairvoyant.

The “long lost” handwritten note

A handwritten note penned by Dawson was given to producers mid-show.

The former rugby player wrote the letter for the police after reporting his wife missing in 1982.

It was widely analysed by various experts when it eventually made its way through Australian news outlets.

One of those analysts was New South Wales Police investigator Paul Curby, who claimed there was evidence Dawson had subconsciously edited the truth to veil his evil deeds.

He told The Australian in 2018 : "People want to provide a version of events that is believable. It's just being able to pull that apart and find the change of language and the potential deception."

Despite revealing how their tumultuous relationship was at breaking point, he goes on to say they'd had a good session of couple's therapy and were "holding hands" in the hours after.

Lynette's brother Greg Simms (right) with his wife Merilyn and journalist Hedley Thomas (second from left) (AAP/PA Images)

Recounting the events of Saturday January 9, he called their two daughters "the girls", indicating that the hours between Friday and Saturday were emotionally taxing for him.

He told the outlet: "The statement indicates that Friday night to Saturday is a highly sensitive area for him, and more likely the time of a crime being committed."

Mr Curby claims there were a number of further red flags, including a "lack of commitment" to naming the people he claimed to have contacted to look for her.

The ommission of pronouns is another question mark, Mr Curby added, saying: "I don't see any pronouns. He doesn't say 'I have contacted all of her girlfriends'."

Pool excavation

In January 2000, police excavated an area around the pool in the family's Bayview back garden.

They dig up a woman's pink cardigan which appears to have been slashed, along with a popper bottle marked with a 1981 expiry date.

Despite the explosive evidence, it can't initially be connected to Dawson's wife.

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