How Australia’s first-ever blockbuster hit podcast, listened to by 30MILLION, helped bring a murderer to justice – as the host gives a compelling statement about the deplorable conditions that led to a killer living the most of his life as a free man.
Chris Dawson was ultimately convicted of murdering his wife forty years after her disappearance.
Teacher’s Pet podcast was crucial in prosecuting a retired educator.
Hedley Thomas’s 2018 real crime series was heard by 30 million people.
The Australian journalist praised the conviction but criticized the delay of forty years.
It was the true crime podcast listened to and followed devotedly by a remarkable 30 million listeners across the globe, and one that after 40 years ultimately brought a murderer to justice.
The Teacher’s Pet, founded in 2018 by The Australian’s Hedley Thomas, was instrumental in bringing Chris Dawson to justice for the 1982 murder of his wife Lynette.
On Tuesday, Dawson, 74, was convicted guilty of murder despite the fact that his wife’s body has never been located, with Justice Ian Harrison highlighting the podcast’s involvement in the reopened investigation.
Merilyn Simms, Lynette’s sister-in-law, remarked of the podcast on the steps of the Supreme Court in Sydney, “I’m certain that made a huge difference in this entire case.”
As he stood alongside Lynette’s family, Thomas made a strong argument about the 1970s and 1980s Sydney environment that allowed Dawson to evade justice.
“Let’s not forget that this has taken forty years to occur,” he remarked. Chris Dawson ought to have been indicted forty years ago.
He has enjoyed forty years of life without bearing any responsibility for what has transpired. That is reprehensible.
Teacher’s Pet, begun in 2018 by journalist Hedley Thomas (pictured), was the key to the courts finally catching up with Chris Dawson for the decades-old murder of his wife Lynette.
Chris might spend the rest of his life in prison. He is 74 years of age. Consequently, he will definitely struggle, but he has also enjoyed forty years of independence.’
Thomas stated that he was compelled to investigate the matter due to the obvious injustice.
Thomas remarked, “Her narrative struck me as so harsh, so unfair at the time.” “It’s a tremendous honor to have had that opportunity. I feel tremendously blessed.
I feel as though I’ve gotten to know them. Although I could never have known – I was only 16 years old when she vanished.
Thomas is now eligible for the $200,000 reward offered by the state of New South Wales in 2014 for information leading to the conviction of the murderer.
Since its inception four years ago, the podcast has revisited the 1982 disappearance of the former Australian rugby league star’s wife.
Lynette disappeared at the age of 34 when her schoolteacher husband was having an affair with the family’s babysitter, who was 16 years old.
Thomas began a forensic reexamination of the police investigation in a 14-part podcast, which was followed by two other cases in 2018 and a special update episode in 2019, when Dawson was eventually charged.
Due to the imminent court case, the podcast was taken offline so as not to contaminate the judicial process.
Chris Dawson, 74, was convicted guilty of murder despite the fact that his wife’s body has never been located, with Justice Ian Harrison emphasizing the podcast’s role.
Lynette Dawson disappeared at the age of 34 when her schoolteacher husband was having an affair with the family’s babysitter, who was 16 years old.
Justice Harrison noted that it was crucial in the reopening of the cold case, but conceded that it had a ‘less than balanced’ perspective on Dawson’s role in his wife’s death.
Tuesday, the police relaunched their investigation into the mystery, and Dawson was convicted of the murder.
Thomas was awarded a Gold Walkley for his podcast series, which was deemed “a masterclass in investigative journalism” by the judging panel, but Dawson’s legal team asserted that it would deny their client a fair trial.
Thomas conceded after the verdict, “I believe that’s true; I did grow obsessed with it.”
Once in a lifetime, a case like Lynn Dawson’s will arise. She is an extraordinary woman. She must have been a fantastic mother who was exceptionally devoted.
Along the road, we have faced a number of formidable obstacles. We must applaud the extraordinary job the prosecution performed in bringing this case to a conclusion.
Early on, there was justifiable criticism leveled at the police inquiry.
Chris Dawson, a schoolteacher, was having an affair with the family’s 16-year-old babysitter, named only as JC, when Lynn Dawson disappeared.
In-law sister of Lynette Dawson Merilyn Simms stated on the steps of the Supreme Court in Sydney that the podcast was essential in Chris Dawson’s conviction.
Lynn Dawson was presumed to be a runaway mother during her eight-year absence, despite the circumstances being highly suspect.
It would not occur now. If something similar were to occur today, a StrikeForce would be established today.
And there would be a significant emphasis on the spouse. But it did not occur. And I believe that reflects society and how far things have progressed.’
Thomas hopes that the podcast will be resumed so that new listeners can hear the case’s progression.
He continued, “No journalist enjoys seeing journalism suppressed or eliminated. That is beyond my pay grade, but I hope so… I would advocate for it.’