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| Chris Dawson’s daughter calls on convicted murderer in court to reveal location of Lynette’s body | Chris Dawson’s daughter calls on convicted murderer in court to reveal location of Lynette’s body |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Shanelle Dawson tells sentencing hearing ‘the night you removed our mother from our lives was the night you destroyed our sense of safety’ | |
| Chris Dawson’s daughter has called on the convicted murderer to reveal where her mother’s body is during an emotional victim impact statement at the former teacher’s sentencing hearing. | |
| The brother of Dawson’s victim, Lynette Dawson, also described him on Thursday as a “conniving monster” who betrayed his family. | The brother of Dawson’s victim, Lynette Dawson, also described him on Thursday as a “conniving monster” who betrayed his family. |
| A statement by Greg Simms was read out in the New South Wales supreme court in which he described how the loss of his sister had impacted generations. | |
| “We considered you an equal in all respects. We trusted you. You repaid us by committing the ultimate betrayal,” Simms wrote of Dawson. | “We considered you an equal in all respects. We trusted you. You repaid us by committing the ultimate betrayal,” Simms wrote of Dawson. |
| The sentencing hearing came 10 weeks after Dawson, now 74, was found guilty of murdering his wife in January 1982 so he could have an unfettered relationship with one of his high school students, known as JC. | |
| “It was a brazen act of a conniving monster hell-bent on one thing, getting what you wanted at any cost,” Simms said. | “It was a brazen act of a conniving monster hell-bent on one thing, getting what you wanted at any cost,” Simms said. |
| Wearing prison greens sitting in the court dock, Dawson listened to statements from Simms as well as Lynette’s sister Patricia Jenkins and his own daughter Shanelle Dawson. | Wearing prison greens sitting in the court dock, Dawson listened to statements from Simms as well as Lynette’s sister Patricia Jenkins and his own daughter Shanelle Dawson. |
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| Before reading her statement, Shanelle paused to fiercely stare at Dawson from across the courtroom, breaking into tears before speaking. | Before reading her statement, Shanelle paused to fiercely stare at Dawson from across the courtroom, breaking into tears before speaking. |
| “The night you removed our mother from our lives was the night you destroyed our sense of safety and belonging in this world,” she said. | “The night you removed our mother from our lives was the night you destroyed our sense of safety and belonging in this world,” she said. |
| She had glimpses of memories from the “nightmare night” her mother disappeared, Shanelle Dawson said. Her life had been shattered, she found it difficult to trust men, and she had been diagnosed with PTSD after learning what her father was capable of. | She had glimpses of memories from the “nightmare night” her mother disappeared, Shanelle Dawson said. Her life had been shattered, she found it difficult to trust men, and she had been diagnosed with PTSD after learning what her father was capable of. |
| “The torture of not knowing what happened, of what you did with her body – please tell us where she is. I hope you will finally admit the truth to yourself,” she said. | |
| Jenkins said she was “confused, alarmed, distressed and in a deep dark void” after hearing that her sister had disappeared. | Jenkins said she was “confused, alarmed, distressed and in a deep dark void” after hearing that her sister had disappeared. |
| Dawson would lie to his daughters after the murder, telling them that Lynette wasn’t their “real mother” but was only pretending because she had walked out, Jenkins said. | |
| “Lyn’s disappearance and the journey has since taught me that no one is safe from tragedy. It can unexpectedly strike anywhere and justice can also be a long time coming.” | “Lyn’s disappearance and the journey has since taught me that no one is safe from tragedy. It can unexpectedly strike anywhere and justice can also be a long time coming.” |
| Lynette Dawson went missing from the couple’s Bayview home in Sydney’s northern beaches. Her body has never been found despite extensive police searches. | Lynette Dawson went missing from the couple’s Bayview home in Sydney’s northern beaches. Her body has never been found despite extensive police searches. |
| On Thursday, the crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC said Dawson had planned a “deliberate and conscious act” of domestic violence with the intention to kill. He said a crime of “very great heinousness” required a term of life imprisonment. | |
| It was heinous because of the significant harm to others caused by delays in the case and Dawson’s lack of remorse, Everson said. | |
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| JC, who was also the family babysitter, was installed in the Bayview home as Dawson’s partner days after he murdered his wife. | JC, who was also the family babysitter, was installed in the Bayview home as Dawson’s partner days after he murdered his wife. |
| He has consistently denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance, claiming she simply up and left her family home and children without a trace. | He has consistently denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance, claiming she simply up and left her family home and children without a trace. |
| The judge rejected that version of events as “ludicrous”. | The judge rejected that version of events as “ludicrous”. |
| Two days after his guilty verdict, a lawyer for the ex-Newtown Jets rugby league player told the court his client had received death threats while at Silverwater prison due to the high-profile nature of the case. | Two days after his guilty verdict, a lawyer for the ex-Newtown Jets rugby league player told the court his client had received death threats while at Silverwater prison due to the high-profile nature of the case. |
| The case shot into the public eye largely as a result of The Teacher’s Pet podcast by The Australian’s Hedley Thomas which was listened to by millions of people across the globe. | The case shot into the public eye largely as a result of The Teacher’s Pet podcast by The Australian’s Hedley Thomas which was listened to by millions of people across the globe. |
| Dawson’s lawyer Greg Walsh on Thursday disputed the claim the crime was at the high end in terms of objective seriousness. | |
| “This is not a case of such heinousness that it comes within the worst category of cases,” he told the court. | |
| Walsh said Dawson had suffered under the “most constant and egregious publicity” for four decades. | |
| His health was deteriorating with Dawson showing signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a brain condition often experienced by those who play contact sports. | |
| Dawson required extra protection while in custody, being threatened and taunted “day in, day out, minute after minute, hour after hour” by the name the Teacher’s Pet, Walsh said. | |
| Dawson has filed an appeal against his conviction. | Dawson has filed an appeal against his conviction. |