Chris Dawson (rugby league)


Christopher Michael Dawson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s.
Following the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Lynette, and two separate coronial inquests, the NSW Coroner determined that Lynette Dawson was dead and that her most likely murderer was her husband, Chris. After many years of stalled and failed investigations, in December 2018 Chris Dawson was arrested and charged with murder., Dawson is released on bail but pending trial.

Early life

Dawson was born in Sydney, New South Wales. He is the second born of twins; his twin brother is Paul Dawson. Chris Dawson attended Sydney Boys High School where he was a prefect. He graduated in 1966.
Chris Dawson met Lynette Simms at a high school function in 1965, when they were both aged sixteen. They married in 1970 at St Jude's Church, Randwick, and later had two children.

Football career

Both Chris and Paul played rugby union for Eastern Suburbs.
The Dawson brothers switched codes to play rugby league for the Newtown Jets in 1972. Chris Dawson played in the second row along with Paul for the Newtown Jets club for five seasons. The Dawson brothers were part of the 1973 New South Wales Rugby League Club Championship winning team.

Subsequent career

After their rugby careers finished, both Chris and Paul Dawson became physical education teachers at public high schools on the north shore and northern beaches of Sydney. Dawson was teaching at Cromer High School in 1981 when he commenced a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old pupil, Joanne Curtis, while he was married to Lynette Dawson.
The Dawson brothers and families moved to Queensland in 1985. Chris Dawson worked at Keebra Park State High School first then later moved to Coombabah State High School to work with his brother Paul.
In 2003 Dawson was working at St Ursula's College in Yeppoon, Queensland.

Wife's disappearance

Lynette Dawson went missing in January 1982. Three days after Lynette's disappearance, Chris invited Curtis to moved into the family house. Chris reported his wife missing on 18 February 1982, six weeks after her disappearance, claiming she had left after marital problems and joined a commune. Chris finalised divorce proceedings against the missing Lynette in 1983.
Chris Dawson married Curtis in 1984. The couple divorced in 1993.
Lynette Dawson's body has never been found but two coronial inquests were conducted in 2001 and 2003 with both ruling that Lynette Dawson must be dead and was most likely murdered by a known person.
On 5 December 2018 Dawson was arrested by detectives from Queensland Police for the murder of Lynette Dawson. He was extradited to New South Wales on 6 December 2018 to face trial. In his appearance at Sydney's Central Local Court that day, he was refused bail and was remanded in custody. On 17 December 2018 Dawson was granted bail and his family paid A$1.5 million bail to be released. Appearing in the NSW Local Court in June 2019, Dawson pleaded not guilty to the murder of Lynette Dawson. In February 2020, Dawson was committed to stand trial for the murder of Lynette. His arraignment is set for April, with a potential trial date later in 2020.
Chris Dawson was the main subject of an investigative podcast series, The Teacher's Pet, by journalist Hedley Thomas. Thomas investigated allegations into the disappearance of Lynette Dawson and brought Chris Dawson into renewed public and media focus through the podcast's broadcast in 2018., the Gold Walkley-award winning podcast was downloaded 28 million times. The series was temporarily removed from download in Australia in April 2019, "to help ensure that Chris Dawson gets a fair trial".