The Teacher's Trial

Forty years after Lyn Dawson disappeared from Sydney's Northern Beaches, Christopher Michael Dawson has been convicted of her murder. In this episode, we'll take you to the moments leading up to and following that pivotal moment. 

Hedley Thomas, Claire Harvey, David Murray, and Matthew Condon share their experience of being in the courtroom when Justice Ian Harrison handed down his explosive verdict...

Christopher Michael Dawson has finally learned his fate after Justice Ian Harrison handed down his verdict in the NSW Supreme Court.
 
Dawson was charged with one count of murdering his wife, Lynette, in early 1982.
 
We hear from retired homicide detective, Gary Jubelin, what happens next, now that the marathon trial and deliberations have wrapped.

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After 40 years, a verdict is just days away. As anticipation builds, we answer more of your questions: What happened to the dressmaker who Lyn talked to about her bruises and her “violent” husband Chris? Do inquest findings carry any weight in a criminal trial? What does reasonable doubt mean anyway?

We have a frank and honest discussion about how the language we use to talk about crime has evolved...

We finally get an answer to the question that's been lingering for weeks: when will Justice Ian Harrison return a verdict? We're also taking the opportunity to answer some of the fascinating and complex questions sent in by you, our listeners. And we meet a figure who's loomed over the trial of Christopher Michael Dawson: Helena Simms, the mother of Lynette Dawson, who never stopped looking for her beloved, lost daughter...

Two coroners examined Lyn Dawson’s disappearance and recommended a ‘known person’ - her husband Chris - be charged with her murder. We delve into how the inquests unfolded, finding out what one of the coroners had to say when Chris, his twin brother Paul, and Paul’s wife Marilyn did not attend. And we explore the interaction between podcasting and the criminal justice system, talking to two women who turned to audio investigations after all else failed, with remarkable results...

We revisit the volatile decade that was the 1970s, Chris and Paul Dawson’s heyday. They were at the peak of their celebrity as well known sporting figures and male models, exploiting the novelty of being identical twins in everything they did. Many years later as police close in over Lyn’s suspected murder, phone-taps capture more conversations between the brothers and within the Dawson clan...

From bewildered to furious, Chris and Paul Dawson vent their true feelings in tapped phone calls over two decades, as the lingering mystery of Lyn’s disappearance draws the attention of police, journalists and the wider world. Retired detective inspector of homicide Gary Jubelin takes us inside the emotion and suspense of a murder trial, and defence lawyer Karen Espiner breaks down the tactical decisions and judicial process at play...

Sue Strath is that rare, loyal friend who never turns away, who never gives up. Her efforts to poke and prod police into action over the disappearance of Lyn Dawson makes Sue one of the few heroines of a tragic story. Sue kept agitating for 16 years, although she was sure that Lyn was dead. The facts and chronology of the case show that Sue's persistence caused the police investigation in the late 1990s which led to much of the evidence presented in the murder trial...

Chris Dawson is a man of good character, badly let down by police and unfairly tainted over the disappearance of his wife: that's the essence of the Defence's closing address on behalf of the accused. Finally, the court got to hear Dawson's side of the story. Through barrister Pauline David, he admitted having behaved 'horribly' towards Lyn by beginning a relationship with babysitter JC, leaving his wife in such despair she walked out and cut off all contact with her family...

Obsessed with teenage babysitter JC, Christopher Dawson murdered his wife Lyn in terror of losing what he so deeply desired. That was the powerful thrust of a meticulous and forensic closing address, delivered over two days by Crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC...