Chris Dawson has been found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette more than 40 years ago, after one of Australia's most high-profile trials.
Supreme Court Justice Ian Harrison handed down the verdict during a lengthy hearing in Sydney today, which lasted for around five hours.
The case made international headlines when it was featured in a wildly popular podcast, The Teacher's Pet.
After the verdict, her family asked Chris Dawson to "find it in his heart" to tell them where Lyn's body was.
Meanwhile, Dawson's lawyer has flagged a "probable" appeal against the verdict.
Follow the updates live.
Key events
- Here's Justice Harrison's judgment
- Dawson taken into custody
- Chris Dawson guilty of murder
- 'Tortured' Mr Dawson resolved to kill wife
- Claims of violence rejected
- 'JC's' hitman claim 'improbable in the extreme'
- WATCH: Judge says Lynette did not orchestrate disappearance
- WATCH: Justice Harrison satisfied Ms Dawson is dead
- Lynette was 'already dead'
- WATCH: Phone call claims are 'lies'
- Story of Lyn's phone calls to Mr Dawson 'fanciful'
- The judgment has begun
Live updates
By James Maasdorp
A correction
Earlier we posted a TV still showing a police van and reported it was the corrective services van ferrying Chris Dawson to prison.
We have since learned that this was incorrect. The post has now been deleted.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
It's goodbye from me
Thanks to everyone who joined me today to follow the judgment live.
It's been a marathon day and one of huge significance for the families of Chris and Lynette Dawson - and Australia's justice system in general.
With an appeal on the way, this story might not be over just yet.
Until next time.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
WATCH: Lynette's family speak outside court
Here's Greg Simms, Lynette Dawson's brother, reacting to the verdict.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Dawson's brothers scuffle with media
Chris Dawson's twin brother, Paul, and older sibling, Peter, have had a minor run in with media outside court today.
Paul, his wife Marilyn older brother Peter were all in court today to support Chris.
A huge press pack was waiting outside the Supreme Court for reactions to the verdict.
Here are some pictures from our reporter Jake Lapham.
At one stage Paul Dawson could be heard to say, "I'm trying to get to my wife."
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
WATCH: Hedley Thomas says Lynette was treated as 'runaway mother'
Hedley Thomas, the journalist behind The Teacher's Pet, said it has been the story of a lifetime.
He thanked Lynette's family for supporting the podcast which thrust her case back into the public spotlight.
He said Ms Dawson was treated as a "runaway mother" for eight years and there had been fair criticism of the police investigation back in 1982.
"It wouldn't happen today, if something like that happened today ... there would be a strike force that would be set up today.
"And there would be a very strong focus on the spouse. But that didn't happen."
He said the prosecutors had done an "amazing job" to "bring this case home".
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Dawson 'shocked', appeal 'probable'
Chris Dawson's lawyer, Greg Walsh, has told reporters outside court that an appeal is "probable".
He says the elderly Dawson was "in shock" and "upset" at being found guilty of murder.
"I can confirm that it's probable of course that he will appeal against his conviction," he said.
"Mr Dawson has always asserted, and he still does, his absolute innocence of the crime of which he's been convicted.
"And he will continue to assert that innocence.
"And he'll certainly appeal."
He said his client was suffering from dementia and his time in custody would be more onerous.
Dawson had been supported by two of his daughters, Mr Walsh said.
The lawyer also acknowledged Ms Dawson's family, who he said had lost a loved one in tragic circumstances.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Lyn's journey 'not over'
The family of Lynette Dawson thanked supporters outside court but say there is still one last step for closure.
Ms Dawson's remains have never been found, 40 years since she was killed by her husband Chris Dawson.
Her brother, Greg Simms, called for Dawson to "find it in himself" to tell them where her body is.
"The journey is not complete," he said.
"She's still missing. We still need to bring her home. We would ask Chris also to find it in himself, to allow us to bring her home for a peaceful rest.
"Finally showing some dignity, she deserves."
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Here's Justice Harrison's judgment
Justice Harrison said he found Dawson asked a family member to take his two children to the beach on January 9, 1982.
That was so he could "return home alone, having already killed his wife".
Justice Harrison said no one had ever known what Dawson did on the night of January 9, 1982 or the following morning, because Dawson was alone.
"The evidence does not reveal how Mr Dawson killed Lynette Dawson," he said.
"It does not reveal if he did so with the assistance of anyone else or by himself.
"It does not reveal where, or when he did so. Nor does it reveal where Lynette Dawson's body is now."
Justice Harrison said the case against Dawson, 74, was wholly circumstantial - but he had been convinced.
"The circumstantial evidence in this case, considered as a whole, is persuasive and compelling.
"None of the circumstances considered alone can establish Mr Dawson's guilt.
"When regard is had to their combined force, I am left in no doubt.
"I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson died on or about 8 January, 1982, as a result of a conscious and voluntary act committed by Mr Dawson with the intention of causing her death.
"Christopher Michael Dawson, on the charge of that on or about 8 January, 1982, at Bayview or elsewhere in the state of New South Wales, you did murder Lynette Dawson, I find you guilty."
Watch it all here:
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Judgement fortified by Dawson's 'lies'
Justice Harrison said in his judgment that "lies" told by Chris Dawson belied a guilty conscience.
He found Dawson told lies over many years about his belief Lynette Dawson was still alive and that she had called him over the phone.
The judge also said he did not accept Ms Dawson has used her bank card after January 8, 1982, as claimed by her husband, who was the "sole author" of those stories.
Justice Harrison said Dawson had told lies to create "an impression that was inconsistent with him having anything to do with the disappearance of his wife".
He said Dawson was a man of prior good character, but had been tipped over the edge by the fear of losing his teenage partner.
"I'm fortified in my ultimate conclusion in this trial by the lies Mr Dawson told following Lynette Dawson's disappearance that context is only explicable demonstrating a guilty conscience referable to the death of Lynette Dawson."
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Dawson taken into custody
Chris Dawson has been taken into custody after he was found guilty of murder.
His lawyer, Greg Walsh, has raised the prospect of a bail application ahead of a sentence date.
Moments earlier, Justice Ian Harrison said there was no reasonable explanation for Lynette Dawson's disappearance in 1982 other than a "conscious and voluntary act committed by Mr Dawson with the intention of causing her death."
"I find you guilty."
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Chris Dawson guilty of murder
Chris Dawson has been found guilty of murdering his wife in January 1982.
The verdict comes 40 years after Lynette Dawson disappeared from their Bayview home on Sydney's northern beaches.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
'Tortured' Mr Dawson resolved to kill wife
Justice Harrison says he is of the belief Mr Dawson's "obsessive infatuation" with 'JC' led to him resolving to kill his wife.
He said 'JC's' trip to South West Rocks in January 1982 was the catalyst for Mr Dawson being "overwhelmed".
It came only days after he and 'JC' had travelled to Queensland to start a new life, missing Christmas with his family, but 'JC' asked to return home.
She then went on holiday with friends, far away from Mr Dawson's "physical reach ... and control".
“Mr Dawson was in Sydney hundreds of kilometres away from ’JC’ … while he remained shackled with a wife he had only days before shown himself to be more than enthusiastic to leave," Justice Harrison said.
“I’m satisfied that the prospect that he would lose [JC] so distressed, frustrated and ultimately overwhelmed him, that tortured by her absence up north, Mr Dawson resolved to kill his wife.”
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Motives for murder
The Crown argued at trial that Mr Dawson had three motives to kill Lynette Dawson:
- To get rid of Ms Dawson
- To replace her with JC
- And to avoid the financial consequences of a divorce
Justice Harrison said the Crown contends that Ms Dawson's disappearance was "neither serendipitous nor innocent".
He said Mr Dawson had argued there was no benefit to his wife's death, and he had planned to start a new life with JC alone - without the kids.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
'The Teacher's Pet influence'
The story of Lynette Dawson's disappearance was told in the hugely successful podcast The Teacher's Pet in 2018.
Several witnesses who gave evidence at trial also spoke to Hedley Thomas, the journalist who produced the podcast, for the series.
Mr Dawson's lawyers have argued the series had influenced witnesses in the trial and cross-contaminated their true recollections.
Justice Harrison said it had been argued the podcast presented a "less than balanced view" of the case.
He said in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2018, Mr Thomas described Mr Dawson as a "despicable person".
"I think that he's lying to himself. His friends and his family and he has for a long time," Mr Thomas said.
The Teacher's Pet was removed from audio streaming services after Mr Dawson was charged in late 2018.
A court order also blocked any reference being made to the podcast in the media.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
WATCH: Mr Dawson didn't need to give evidence
Justice Harrison says Mr Dawson has made it clear over the years he denies killing his wife.
It's up to the Crown to prove its case against him.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
The impact of a 40-year delay
Justice Harrison is speaking about Mr Dawson's claims that he's been prejudiced by the passing of time since Lynette's disappearance.
It was one of the pillars of Mr Dawson's application for a permanent stay of proceedings, which was eventually rejected in the High Court.
Justice Harrison said it was clear that some memories would have been sharper in 1982 than they are in 2022.
However, he said Mr Dawson's lawyers had not proven exactly how he was at a disadvantage due to the delay - but had only raised the issue.
The judge said it's possible some witnesses who had passed away in the four decades since 1982 may not have provided evidence that was beneficial to Mr Dawson.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Claims of violence rejected
Justice Harrison says there is "no evidence" Mr Dawson was physically violent toward his wife, Lynette.
He rejected evidence from the Crown which he says intended to paint Mr Dawson as a violent man who left his wife with bruises.
"There is no evidence of contemporaneous complaints of such violence by Lynette Dawson to her family ... or of contemporaneous observations by the same members of her family of any signs of such physical violence."
The judge said that by the end of 1981, Mr Dawson believed his marriage was in "a state of insipient failure".
"I'm similarly satisfied that the deterioration of the marriage was the direct and inevitable consequence of this extramarital affair with [JC]."
However, he found that Ms Dawson did not share that view and was hopeful as late as January 8, 1982, that her marriage "could be resurrected".
Justice Harrison said incidents like the one Ms Andrew described did not go as far as proving a tendency of violence.
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Backyard 'screaming' incident is true, judge finds
A story told by the Dawsons' old neighbour in Bayview about seeing Mr Dawson "roaring" at his wife is true, Justice Harrison has found.
That was despite the neighbour, Julie Andrew, coming to court with "an agenda" to convict Mr Dawson.
The court was told Ms Andrew allegedly saw the couple in the backyard where Mr Dawson had pinned his wife against a trampoline.
"He was screaming at her and she was crying," she told the court in May.
"He was towering over her ... he was roaring at her."
Justice Harrison said he believed this story, despite noting her open hostility toward Mr Dawson.
"I believe that Ms Andrew's evidence concerning what she saw with the trampoline incident is true."
Read more on Ms Andrew's evidence here:
By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Chris Dawson 'determined' to leave Lynette for 'JC'
Evidence shows Chris Dawson was "obsessed" with 'JC' and her as his "replacement wife", Justice Harrison has said.
The "relationship" between the teacher and schoolgirl underwent an "evolution" over a period of more than a year, the judge said, becoming "more and more intense".
He accepted 'JC's' claim she moved into the Bayview home soon after Lynette's disappearance, after Mr Dawson picked her up from a holiday in South West Rocks.
“The Crown has established to my satisfaction beyond reasonable doubt Mr Dawson determined that he would leave the relationship with his wife and commence a substitute relationship with [JC]."
He described as "compelling" the Crown's argument Mr Dawson had adopted a strategy of "out with the old and in with the new".
