The high-profile murder trial of Chris Dawson has been delayed for a week after Crown Prosecutor SC Craig Everson tested positive for COVID-19.
The NSW Supreme Court was today supposed to hear the second day of evidence from Mr Dawson's brother, Peter.
Given Mr Everson's seven-day isolation requirements, the judge-only trial will hear the rest of Peter Dawson's evidence next Tuesday.
Former school teacher Chris Dawson, 73, has pleaded not guilty to killing his wife Lynette 40 years ago after she disappeared from their family home in Bayview, on Sydney's northern beaches.
The Crown's case is entirely circumstantial as Ms Dawson's body has never been found.
Yesterday, the court was played a recorded police interview from 1991 where Mr Dawson said allegations he wanted to hire a hitman to kill his wife were a "complete and utter fabrication".
The allegations were made by a student at the school where he taught physical education. The student, who can only be identified as JC, later became his second wife.
"The whole purpose of ... raising the allegations is to slur my character with an upcoming custody battle which has turned extremely nasty and bitter," Mr Dawson told detectives in the video.
He also told them JC didn't know of "the nights that I lay awake crying my heart out hoping for some contact from Lyn".
JC previously told the court that, in 1981, Mr Dawson drove her to a building in suburban Sydney to organise a hitman but backflipped after realising innocent people would be killed.
On Monday, Judith Solomon, who worked with Lynette at a bank up until 1966, told the court her colleague had a "huge, horrible black eye" when she ran into the couple at Warringah Mall some years later.
"What did she tell you about her black eye?" Crown Prosecutor Craig Everson SC asked.
"She ran into a doorway," the witness replied.
Ms Solomon said as they parted ways she saw Mr Dawson "pull her by the arm" and say "what did you do that for?".
Under cross-examination, she revealed she listened to The Teacher's Pet podcast in which Mr Dawson was portrayed in "a very dark light".
Defence barrister Pauline David asked Ms Solomon if, after listening to the podcast, she thought of "Mr Dawson with a new suspicion?".
"Yes," she replied.
Annette Leary worked with Lynette at Warriewood Children's Centre in the early 1980s.
She previously told the court she noticed bruises on her colleague's throat just days before she vanished from her Bayview home in 1982.
Mr Dawson insists he had nothing to do with Lynette's disappearance.
The trial before Justice Ian Harrison will resume next week.
