Chris Dawson of The Teacher’s Pet crime podcast jailed for murdering wife 40 years ago
An Australian former high school teacher has been jailed for 24 years for murdering his wife 40 years ago – after a popular podcast triggered a new police investigation.
Chris Dawson, 74, was the subject of hit podcast, The Teacher’s Pet after being accused of killing Lynette Dawson in January 1982, although her body was never found.
A 2003 inquest had recommended charging Dawson with his wife’s murder, but prosecutors declined, citing a lack of evidence.
The cold case against him was reopened after the 2018 podcast put pressure on the police to revisit their investigation.
It set out a circumstantial case that the ex-rugby league player had murdered his wife.
Lynette Dawson’s body has never been found
In August this year, he was found guilty of the crime to pursue a relationship with a teenage student he was having an affair with, and who had babysat and lived in his Sydney home.
He was tried without a jury due to the publicity surrounding the case.
Dawson’s legal team had argued The Teacher’s Pet, a true-crime podcast produced by News Corp’s The Australian newspaper, denied him a fair trial because of the way he was depicted.
Judge Harrison had agreed the podcast – a number one hit the paper says has been downloaded more than 50 million times – had cast Dawson in a negative light, but had not factored into the verdict.
Sentencing him at New South Wales Supreme Court, Judge Ian Harrison said Dawson’s claim that his wife had left him was fanciful.
“Dawson has enjoyed until his arrest 36 years in the community, unimpeded by the taint of a conviction for killing his wife, or by any punishment for doing so,” he said.
Dawson maintains he is innocent
“In a practical sense, his denial of responsibility for that crime has benefited him in obvious ways.”
Dawson has insisted he was not involved in his wife’s disappearance.
His lawyer said he would be appealing against the sentence. “He maintains his innocence,” he told reporters on Friday.
Dawson will be eligible for parole in 2040, when he is 92 years old.
Chris Dawson, pictured here in August, has been jailed for 24 years
Greg Simms, Lynette Dawson’s brother, said the family welcomed the sentence.
“We respect and thank Judge Harrison for his sentence, and hope Chris Dawson lives a long life in order to serve that sentence,” he said.
Dan Doherty, a detective involved in the police investigation, said while the sentence would bring comfort to the family, the case remains open as the victim’s body has still not been found.
The mother of two Australian surfers allegedly shot dead by thieves in Mexico says “the world has become a darker place for us” after their deaths.
The bodies of brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad were found south of Ensenada in northern Mexico last week, after the men went missing on the weekend of 27 April.
The trio, who were on a surfing trip near the city, were shot dead by thieves who wanted their truck’s tyres, according to prosecutors, and their bodies dumped in a remote 15m-deep (50ft) well.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson with their parents
Debra Robinson delivered a tribute to her sons at a beach in San Diego on Tuesday.
“Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us,” she said. “They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.
“Jake’s passion was surfing, and it was no coincidence that many of the hospitals that he worked in were close to surfing beaches.”
“Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory,” she said, and thanked Australian officials and supporters there and in the United States.
Jake and Callum Robinson. Pic:callum10robinson
Mrs Robinson, who also paid tribute to Jack Carter Rhoad, said her sons’ bodies, or their ashes, will eventually be taken back to Australia.
“Now it’s time to bring them home to families and friends,” she said. “And the ocean waits in Australia.”
Prosecutors have identified three people as potential suspects, two of whom were caught with methamphetamines. One of them, a woman, had one of the victims’ mobile phones when she was caught, they said.
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Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but continue to be suspects in the killings.
A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear when or if he might face more charges.
Photos of Callum, Jake and Jack were left on the beach in Ensenada. Pic: AP
Surfers near in Ensenada threw flowers in a tribute to the men. Pic: AP
The third man was believed to have directly participated in the killings, prosecutors said.
33-year-old Callum, Jake, 30, and their friend Jack, also 30, had posted photos on social media of isolated beaches shortly before they went missing.
Callum had reportedly been living in the US to try to become a professional lacrosse player, while Jake, a doctor, had flown out to visit him two weeks ago.
Thieves likely saw their truck and tents and wanted their tyres but the men probably resisted, said prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade Ramírez.
She said the bodies were taken to “a site that is extremely hard to get to” in Baja California state.
The well, near where their truck and tent were found, also contained a fourth body that had been there much longer, she added.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he had requested an opportunity to speak to Mrs Robinson and her husband Martin.
“This is a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to them,” Mr Albanese said.
There are moments, more than others, that scream the humiliation of it all.
Take this, before Tuesday’s proceedings got underway. “No descriptions of genitalia or anything but it’s important to elicit that she had sex with him.”
It was the prosecution’s assurance prior to questioning Stormy Daniels after Donald Trump’s lawyers had objected, in advance, to her testifying to the details of sexual acts.
It would be that kind of day in this kind of trial.
Trump trial as it happened: Stormy Daniels accused of car park ‘threat’ lie
In a dingy New York courtroom, this was the president and the porn star, together again, in a reunion most reductive for Mr Trump.
He might have secured guarantees on anatomical detail but, from the moment the court heard “The People call Stormy Daniels” this was Mr Trump with his trousers down, no doubt.
Ms Daniels told her story, of growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of a single mother. She edited her high school newspaper, enjoyed ballet dancing and horses and had ambitions to be a technician.
By the time she met Mr Trump, aged 27, we learned she was an adult film actress and director, star of the likes of 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
By her telling, the Trump encounter was more Austin Powers – the penthouse suite, the satin pyjamas and the spanking with a rolled-up magazine.
“Bullshit,” Mr Trump was heard to mutter. His problem is that this kind of bullshit sticks.
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Stormy Daniels recalls bedroom encounter with Trump
Whatever his lawyers’ protestations about Ms Daniels’ credibility – and there are holes – that’s hardly the headline for a watching, voting, public.
What will they take from court to the polling booth in November? Quite apart from the imagery, what message does it send to key demographics?
An affair with a porn star, whilst married, is a poor fit with the principles of evangelicals, so critical to the Trump vote in 2016. Suburban women might also reel from this tawdry peek backstage at the presidency.
How much will Mr Trump worry? About $130,000 (£103,000) worth. It is the premium he paid to stop the story coming out in the first place.
Sadly, for him, the insurance policy has run out.
World
Eurovision facing controversy over contestants and political statements – as protests around event expected
The Eurovision Song Contest is already facing controversy over performers making political statements ahead of the big event in Sweden at the weekend.
Bambie Thug, who will represent Ireland, has criticised organisers for asking the performer to alter a pro-Palestinian message before their performance in the first semi-final last night.
Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has put out a statement expressing “regret” that former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who is reportedly of Palestinian origin, was wearing a keffiyeh – a traditional scarf that has become a symbol of support – tied around his wrist as he sang.
He is not competing this year, but opened the first Eurovision semi-final show in his home country ahead of the finalists being chosen.
Eden Golan will compete for Israel. Pic: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
Eurovision bills itself as a non-political event and organisers have resisted calls to boycott Israel, sparking protests.
Israel’s Eden Golan will perform her song Hurricane in the second semi-final on Thursday, with bookmakers placing her among the top 10 most likely to win the competition.
Security is being ramped up in the Swedish host city of Malmo, which expects to welcome some 100,000 Eurovision fans – along with thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, with demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war planned on Thursday and Saturday.
After making it through to the final with their song Doomsday Blue, Ireland’s Bambie Thug told reporters at a news conference that they had been forced to change writing painted on their body ahead of the semi-final performance.
The 31-year-old singer said the painted script in Ogham – an early Medieval alphabet – had translated to ‘ceasefire and freedom’.
Bambie Thug says she was forced to change her body paint. Pic: Reuters
“It was very important for me because I’m pro justice and pro peace,” they said. “Unfortunately, I had to change those messages today to ‘crown the witch’ only (which was an) order from the EBU.”
A spokesperson for the EBU said: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.
“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”
In a separate statement about Saade’s opening performance, an EBU spokesperson said the organisation “regrets” that he chose to wear the keffiyeh pattern material and “chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event”.
The UK’s Olly Alexander will perform Dizzy in the final on Saturday. Pic: Reuters
Elsewhere, UK entrant Olly Alexander also performed at the event to showcase his song, Dizzy, although he is already through to the final as the UK is one of the “big five” Eurovision donors.
The Years & Years singer has found himself facing criticism from some who called for him to withdraw over Israel’s inclusion amid the ongoing war.
He addressed the controversy in a documentary following him as he prepares for the show, describing some comments he and other contestants have received as “very extreme”.
In April, Eurovision organisers condemned the abuse and harassment of contestants over Israel’s inclusion in the competition as “unacceptable and totally unfair”.
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Speaking on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, EBU deputy director general Jean Philip De Tender defended Israel’s inclusion.
“We do understand the concerns and deeply held views around the war in the Middle East,” he said.
“The song contest is a music event organised and co-produced by 37 public broadcasters, it’s not a competition between nations or governments.
“Our governing bodies reviewed the participation of Kan [Israel’s public broadcasting corporation] and found that they met all of the competing rules.”
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