A 74-year-old Australian, Chris Dawson, was sentenced today in Sydney to 24 years in prison for the murder of his wife Lynette some 40 years ago. His case was reopened a few years ago after it was brought back to the attention of the much-listened-to crime podcast The Teacher’s Pet.
The Australian will not be eligible for parole until 18 years from now and “will most likely die in his cell,” said Judge Ian Harrison, who handed down the sentence in a session of less than half an hour. Dawson was found guilty in August, but Judge Harrison on Friday called the murder “an act of self-indulgent brutality.”
The body of Lynette, who was 33 when she disappeared, has never been found. Dawson has always maintained that she left him and their two children, possibly to join a religious group.
Affair with teenage girl
By killing his wife, Dawson was able to start an affair with the teenage girl JC in 1982, the judge ruled. She was their nanny, a student at Dawson’s school and Lynette’s “stand-in.” The two married in 1984, but separated in 1990. JC testified against Dawson in the criminal trial which was reopened following evidence presented in The Teacher’s Pet in 2018.
Lynette’s brother Greg Simms thanked the journalist who recorded the podcast after the judge’s ruling and expressed the hope that the media and police can work together more often to solve cases in the future. “The time has come when we can live freely and stop worrying about this,” Simms said.
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