Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering wife Lynette 40 years ago | 7NEWS

Chris Dawson has been found guilty of murder over the 40-year-old disappearance of his wife Lynette. On Tuesday morning NSW Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison handed down his verdict after seven weeks considering witness testimony and submissions in the two-month long murder trial. Aged 33, Lynette Dawson vanished without a trace in early 1982 leaving behind her two daughters. Her body has never been found.
Dawson was finally arrested at his Gold Coast home in December 2018.
The 74-year-old husband was accused of murdering his wife and disposing of her body in January 1982, so he could have an unfettered relationship with his then teenage babysitter, known only as JC.
He pleaded not guilty and on Tuesday Justice Harrison said he had found Dawson guilty.
According to evidence given at trial, JC moved into the Dawson home within days of the disappearance. She eventually married her former high school teacher in 1984, with the pair separating in 1990.
Dawson and Lynette’s disappearance was discussed in The Teacher’s Pet podcast, released by The Australian in 2018.
On Tuesday, Justice Harrison ultimately dismissed defence claims that Lynette Dawson is or was alive after she disappeared.
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