The Teacher’s Accuser Episode 6: Ducking And Weaving

September 22, 2023·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

Chris Dawson forced his family to wear identical outfits on bike rides, revealing his extreme control over his victim.

The Teacher's Accuser podcast is produced by The Australian newspaper and hosted by Clare Harvey, with National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas as the primary investigative voice. This sixth episode covers the sentencing hearing of Christopher Dawson, who was already serving a 24-year sentence for murder when this sexual offence case concluded. Dawson appeared via videolink from prison; Judge Sarah Huggett took care to confirm he could see and hear the proceedings. The sentencing remarks were technical in nature, proceeding from Section 73 of the NSW Crimes Act 1900. Judge Huggett noted that the victim was 16 and placed at the top of the age range covered by the statute, and that — while acknowledging the seriousness of any teacher-pupil sexual contact — she classified this particular offence as of 'somewhat lesser seriousness.' The panel examines the reasoning behind that classification and finds it hard to convey to a general audience. Matthew Condon observes that the decorum of court proceedings — in which both the judge and Dawson were notably polite to each other — stands in jarring contrast to the nature of the offence being adjudicated. A further complicating factor, acknowledged by Hedley Thomas, is that the victim became Dawson's second wife and the mother of his child, meaning the usual narrative of a predatory teacher and a separate victim is entangled with a long shared biography. The practical effect of the three-year sentence is discussed: because Dawson is already serving 24 years, the new sentence runs concurrently and has no material effect on his release date. Former students of Cromer and Forrester High Schools are interviewed for their reactions. The episode also notes that further legal action relating to Dawson's conduct remains under consideration.

As heard by us

A sober legal discussion that weighs guilt, punishment, and what the verdict means after decades of waiting.

The episode is at its best when it moves beyond the headline facts around Chris Dawson: his conviction for the 1982 murder of his wife, Lynette, the 24-year prison sentence, and the later allegations that he groomed and sexually assaulted a former female student at the Northern…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want the fallout after Chris Dawson's conviction, this one stays in court.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Teacher's Trial