Chris Dawson’s brother says there is ‘clear and uncontested evidence’ his wife Lynette was alive long after she disappeared in 1982.
In a statement released after Dawson was arrested on Wednesday, his brother Peter also declared he was confident his sibling was not involved in Lynette’s death.
‘We are disappointed at the decision of the DPP as there is clear and uncontested evidence that Lyn Dawson was alive long after she left Chris and their daughters,’ Peter Dawson said.
‘We have no doubt whatsoever that Chris will be found not guilty as is he innocent.’
Chris Dawson (pictured), 70, was arrested by police at the home of his brother Paul, at Biggera Waters on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, early on Wednesday morning
Dawson (left) is set to be charged with the murder of his wife Lynette (right) on Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982
Mrs Dawson (pictured) disappeared from the couple’s family home at Bayview, on Sydney’s northern beaches, in 1982
Team Dawson: Chris (left) and Paul (right) Dawson are now 70-years-old and living in Queensland. The brothers have numberplates ‘TWIN 1’ and ‘TWIN 2’. Note Chris’s T-shirt
Dawson was arrested by police at the home of his twin brother Paul at Biggera Waters on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
He will be extradited to New South Wales where he is expected to be charged with his wife’s 1982 murder.
The 70-year-old’s application for bail was refused when he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court. He will face court in Parramatta, in Sydney’s west, on Thursday.
The breakthrough arrest came after two people came forward and provided statements regarding Mrs Dawson’s death in April, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said.
Commissioner Fuller said the information ‘helped pull pieces of the puzzle together’.
Mrs Dawson, a mother-of-two, disappeared without a trace from the couple’s family home at Bayview, on Sydney’s northern beaches, on January 9, 1982.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (centre) addressed media on Wednesday after Dawson was arrested in Queensland
But it wasn’t until six weeks later that Dawson called police to report his wife missing.
Her remains have yet to be found but police say there have been murder convictions before without a body.
‘I’ve said from the start what is important is justice for Lynette Dawson and her family,’ Commissioner Fuller said.
‘Unfortunately, and from our perspective, we would like to have found the body of Lynette Dawson, not just for evidence but for the family, and we certainly will not give up hope.
‘We have solved homicides before without identifying the body. In this case we will not give up on trying to identify the whereabouts of Lynette Dawson, but from our perspective, it is not crucial to finalising the matter.’
Dawson ‘came quietly with police’ as he was arrested, Commissioner Fuller said.
Dawson, 70, a schoolteacher, was having an affair with 17-year-old former student Joanne Curtis and is accused of killing his wife to move on with her. She took up the role of mother to Dawson’s children Shanelle and Sherryn after Mrs Dawson disappeared
Just days after his wife’s disappearance, Dawson – a high school PE teacher – had his former student Joanne Curtis (pictured right) move into their family home. The pair later married and had one child, a daughter Kristen (left)
‘We spoke to the family of Lynette Dawson this morning who were certainly relieved to hear this result,’ he said.
Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said: ‘There are other examples in policing history and history of the courts where people have been convicted of murder without a body’.
‘That may or may not be accepted in this particular case. It is a matter for the court in due course,’ he said.
Dawson has always denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance, despite two coroners finding his wife was likely murdered by him.
The recent dig at the family’s former home did not provide any further evidence, but police have not given up hope of finding Mrs Dawson’s body.
In August 1982, Dawson wrote a statement to police detailing their marital history and the steps he took to find Mrs Dawson after she vanished
Chris Dawson met Lynette Simms when he was at Sydney Boys High and she was at the adjacent Sydney Girls High. Two coroners have found Mr Dawson most likely killed his wife in 1982 but the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to prosecute, citing lack of evidence
Prior to his wife’s disappearance, Dawson and his twin brother had been star players for the Newtown Jets rugby league club.
Mrs Dawson’s brother Gregg Simms told The Australian he was ‘quite emotional’ after his family was told the news of Dawson’s arrest.
‘We’ve had a cry, we’ve cuddled, we’re just completely over the moon that something has finally happened,’ Mr Simms said.
Just days after his wife’s disappearance, Dawson – a high school PE teacher – had his former student Joanne Curtis move into their family home.
The pair soon began a relationship and eventually married. The couple’s lasted until 1990 and the had one child together, a daughter Kristen.
At two separate inquests in 2001 and 2003 coroners find Mrs Dawson was murdered by a ‘known person’ – Chris Dawson – but he was never charged with any offence
But despite the multiple inquests, police investigations and the offer of a $100,000 reward for information, Mrs Dawson’s body has never been recovered.
Two coroners have recommended charging Dawson with his wife’s murder but the DPP never pursued the case, citing insufficient evidence.
New South Wales Police established a strike force and gave prosecutors a new brief of evidence for a fresh assessment on the case.
In September police also dug up the backyard of the house where the couple lived in 1982, but didn’t find a body.
The disappearance of Mrs Dawson has been the subject of a popular podcast by the Australian newspaper called ‘The Teacher’s Pet’.
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