Chris Dawson charged over a historical sex offence. Photo / Seven News
Chris Dawson charged over a historical sex offence. Photo / Seven News
A former Australian high school teacher accused of killing his wife in a decades-old case that has been the subject of a hit crime podcast has been charged with having sex with an underage student in the 1970s and 80s.
Chris Dawson, 70, was arrested in December over the disappearanceof Lynette Dawson in 1982. No trace of the mother-of-two has been found since she went missing from the family's home on Sydney's Northern Beaches at the age of 33.
Dawson, a former rugby player, has always denied murder, and has insisted his wife may have walked out on him and their children to join a religious group.
The gripping cold case is chronicled in the popular 2018 podcast The Teacher's Pet by journalist Hedley Thomas, which brought global attention to the mystery. The series, produced by the Australian newspaper, is temporarily unavailable, pending legal proceedings.
Hours after pleading not guilty in court to his wife's murder, Dawson was charged with a historic sex offence against a high school student.
"The 70-year-old-man was charged with carnal knowledge in respect of a 16-year-old girl, who in 1980 was 16," said Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec of the child abuse and sex crimes squad.
The Teacher's Pet has become an international sensation and uncovered fresh witnesses, which investigators say helped lead to Dawson's arrest.
