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From Hedley Thomas and the journalists at The Australian, The Teacher's Trial follows the events in the trial of Chris Dawson, who is accused of the murder of his wife Lynette Dawson. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Detailed courtroom reporting shows how testimony, objections and legal arguments shaped the prosecution of Chris Dawson.
The Teacher's Trial turns a complex murder prosecution into a close, intelligible account of courtroom work. Hedley Thomas and his colleagues track the case against Chris Dawson through witness testimony, evidentiary disputes, defence submissions, closing arguments, the verdict…
Hedley Thomas takes the witness box; if you like your reporting cross-examined, pull up a chair.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A failed appeal becomes a close look at missing evidence, family response, and Dawson's next legal path.
Christopher Michael Dawson's failed bid to overturn his murder conviction gives the episode a clear spine. It follows his argument that a 40-year delay left him at a forensic disadvantage, then moves through the Court of Criminal Appeal and the High Court's refusal to grant…
Bronwyn Winfield's disappearance returns through her "prison," a cold case, and two women pressing for answers.
Thirty-one years after Bronwyn Winfield disappeared from Lennox Head, this single episode builds from her own description of a home that became "John's castle and my prison." Hedley Thomas follows that line back toward the house, then broadens the frame through Bronwyn's health,…
Hedley Thomas revisits the last known movements before Bronwyn Winfield disappeared.
Claire Harvey's conversation with Hedley Thomas opens a cold-case podcast investigation into Bronwyn Winfield, a young mum who vanished from a surf town on the New South Wales north coast more than three decades ago.
A measured murder-appeal episode weighs Chris Dawson's account of Lynn's disappearance against motive evidence and fair-trial questions.
Chris Dawson's appeal centers on Lynn Dawson's disappearance, his account that she wanted to get away for a few days, and the question of how far that claim can carry under scrutiny.
A reflective opening chapter about a sixteen-year reporting trail becoming an editorial test.
The opening chapter of The Teacher's Pet turns on a return. On 27 October 2017, Hedley Thomas writes to Greg about the long articles he published on Lynn in 2001, after speaking with Pat and Detective Loon and working through police and coronial files.
A reflective post-verdict chapter about trust, memory, and how the story keeps widening beyond the case.
Episode seven stays with the verdict and asks what follows when a decades-long case moves from court into public memory. Its best stretch is the discussion of trust, where Hedley Thomas and his collaborator are shown moving fast: within hours, large parts of an unpublished book…
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…
A measured courtroom hour that makes procedure feel consequential.
The episode stays firmly in procedural territory, with AB's timeline, the missing sister evidence, and Laura Beecroft's testimony doing the heavy lifting.
NHPR's Jason Moon investigates the Bear Brook barrel murders and a New Hampshire wrongful-conviction case.
Payne Lindsey's season-long investigation into two disappearances from Nome, Alaska.
CBC's true crime feed tracing Cleo's case into cold cases across its investigative podcast network.
Journalists chase a decades-long trail through a coronial inquest and Rick Bloom's dozens of aliases.
A New York Times reporter reinvestigates Laramie's unsolved 1985 murder of Shelley Wiley.
This episode covers the guilty verdict in Chris Dawson's trial for unlawful carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old student in 1980, connecting it to his previous murder conviction.
This episode discusses the guilty verdict in the 40-year-old murder trial of Christopher Michael Dawson for the disappearance of his wife Lynette, with insights from journalists and a retired homicide detective.
This episode of The Teacher's Trial focuses on Chris Dawson's appeal against his conviction for unlawful carnal knowledge of a schoolgirl, centering on whether their first sexual encounter occurred before she turned 17.
This episode covers the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal's decision to reject Chris Dawson's appeal against his murder conviction for killing his wife Lynette in 1982.
This episode investigates the 1993 disappearance of Bronwyn Winfield, a mother of two in Lennox Head, exploring her troubled marriage, the coronial inquest that found she was dead, and the failure to prosecute her husband despite circumstantial evidence.
This episode of The Front features Hedley Thomas discussing his new podcast 'Bronwyn', which investigates the cold case of Bronwyn Winfield, a young mother who disappeared in 1991.
This episode covers Chris Dawson's appeal against his murder conviction for killing his wife Lynette in 1982.
Hedley Thomas reads Chapter 1 of his book, recounting how he pitched a podcast investigation into Lynette Dawson's 1982 disappearance to his editor.
This episode explores the behind-the-scenes journey of The Teacher's Pet investigation, featuring interviews with Hedley Thomas, Rebecca Hazel, and Chanel Dawson.
Journalists Hedley Thomas, Matthew Condon, and host Clare Harvey of The Australian analyse the sentencing of Christopher Michael Dawson — already serving 24 years for the 1982 murder of his wife Lynette — to an additional three years for the unlawful carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old female student in the early 1980s at a Northern Beaches high school.
This episode covers the sentencing of Chris Dawson to three years for carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old student, detailing the grooming process and legal arguments.
This episode features a live conversation with Hedley Thomas and David Murray, discussing their investigative podcast work, including The Teacher's Pet and Shandy's Story.
This episode of The Teacher's Accuser covers the verdict in Chris Dawson's trial for carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old student in 1980, where he was found guilty based on Judge Sarah Huggett's detailed judgment.
This episode covers the closing arguments in the carnal knowledge trial of Chris Dawson, accused of sexually assaulting a former student in 1980.
Journalist Hedley Thomas and a panel from The Australian discuss day four and five of the carnal knowledge trial of former teacher and convicted murderer Chris Dawson, focusing on the cross-examination of the complainant known only as AB by Public Defender Claire Wasley.
This episode covers the second week of Chris Dawson's carnal knowledge trial, focusing on AB's testimony about grooming and sexual assault in 1980.
This first episode of The Teacher's Accuser introduces the new trial against Chris Dawson, who is already serving 24 years for murdering his wife Lynette.
This episode covers the sentencing of Chris Dawson for the murder of his wife Lynette Dawson in 1982, with Justice Ian Harrison imposing a 24-year prison term.
This episode covers the sentencing hearing for Chris Dawson, convicted of murdering his wife Lynette Dawson in 1982.
This episode analyzes the guilty verdict in Chris Dawson's trial for murdering his wife Lynette, focusing on Justice Harrison's rejection of domestic violence evidence from female witnesses.
This episode analyzes Justice Ian Harrison's 238-page judgment in the Chris Dawson murder trial, focusing on key findings like the Northbridge Baths lie and JC's testimony.
This episode covers the verdict in Chris Dawson's murder trial for the 1982 disappearance of his wife Lynette Dawson.
This episode of The Teacher's Trial anticipates the verdict in Chris Dawson's murder trial, featuring listener questions about key evidence like Lynette's bruises and JC's testimony.
This episode of The Teacher's Trial announces the verdict date for Chris Dawson's murder trial and explores listener questions about key evidence, including Lynette Dawson's left-behind glasses and a mysterious phone call.
This episode examines the detailed evidence from coronial inquests into Lynette Dawson's disappearance, featuring tense courtroom exchanges between detective Damien Loon and lawyer Peter Dawson.
This episode examines intercepted phone calls where Chris Dawson discusses media coverage and allegations against him, including a choking incident before his wife's disappearance.
This episode analyzes intercepted phone calls between Chris Dawson and his brother Paul, revealing their theories about Lynette's disappearance and reactions to evidence.
This episode focuses on Sue Strath, the friend whose persistent advocacy over decades forced police to reinvestigate Lynette Dawson's disappearance.
This episode covers the defence's closing arguments in the trial of Chris Dawson, accused of murdering his wife Lynette in 1982.
This episode focuses on the Crown's closing arguments in the trial of Chris Dawson, accused of murdering his wife Lynette in 1982.
This episode covers week eight of Chris Dawson's murder trial, focusing on investigator Daniel Poole's detailed testimony and key evidence including telephone intercepts where Dawson contradicts his earlier statements.
This episode analyzes week eight of Chris Dawson's murder trial, focusing on the defense's aggressive cross-examination of detective Damien Loon for alleged police misconduct and journalist Hedley Thomas for potential witness contamination through his podcast The Teacher's Pet.
This episode features an interview with investigative journalist Hedley Thomas as he prepares to testify in the murder trial of Chris Dawson, accused of killing his wife Lynette in 1982.
Episode 7 covers week seven of Chris Dawson's murder trial, featuring testimony from author Rebecca Hazel on JC's allegations, courtroom clashes between prosecutors and defense, and key witnesses like detective Paul Magar and former rugby player Ray Lee.
This episode delves into week six of Chris Dawson's murder trial, focusing on star witness Robert Silkman's hitman allegation and the gangland connections of the Newtown Jets football club.
This episode covers trial testimony about Chris Dawson's alleged controlling behavior, emotional accounts from his daughter Chanel about her traumatic childhood, and intercepted phone calls between the Dawson twins discussing police suspicions.
This episode covers week four of Chris Dawson's murder trial, featuring analysis of his 1991 police interview where he denies allegations from his second wife JC, including claims he sought a hitman.
This episode covers the third week of Chris Dawson's murder trial, featuring testimony from Lynette Dawson's colleagues about marital violence and her disappearance.
This episode covers the second week of Chris Dawson's murder trial, featuring emotional testimony from neighbours and family, and explosive allegations from JC about grooming and a hitman plot.
This episode introduces the murder trial of Chris Dawson for the alleged 1982 killing of his wife Lynette, covering the first week's proceedings including explosive new evidence about a hitman inquiry, legal arguments over pretrial publicity, and the decision for a judge-alone trial.