Convicted murderer Chris Dawson has been found guilty of sexually abusing his former student in the 1980s.
District Court of NSW judge Sarah Huggett delivered the verdict on Wednesday, convicting Dawson of the charge of unlawful carnal knowledge of a student.
The charge makes Dawson both a convicted killer and a convicted sexual predator. It comes after Dawson was found guilty last year of murdering his wife, Lynette, who vanished in 1982.
Dawson pleaded not guilty to one count of carnal knowledge of a girl, referred to in court as ‘AB, who was his student when he was a sports teacher at Cromer High School on Sydney’s northern beaches in the 1980s.
The woman, now aged in her 50s, gave evidence during the judge-only trial, with the judge calling her “a thoughtful witness who gave her evidence in a matter-of-fact and forthright way”.
The timing of Dawson’s relationship with the girl was central to the trial, because it would be illegal only if the girl was 16 or in his sports class when it became sexual.
Dawson’s lawyer had argued that it had begun after the girl turned 17 and was not his student.
The judge found Dawson guilty of the charge, saying she did not find the complainant was motivated to give deliberately false evidence or that she was vindictive.
After the judgment, Dawson could be heard swearing to himself on the court’s audio-visual link.
Lynette Simms’ nephew David Jenkins spoke outside of the court today, and said it was a “good outcome”.
“I’m glad that AB and various other students of the time got to tell their truth and were largely believed, so I think it’s a good outcome,” he said.
“I imagine it’s a shock for (Dawson) and well he’s got plenty of time to process it doesn’t he?”
“I hope he reflects on the choices he made in his younger days. And, you know, this is the right outcome for his choices. He made certain decisions and you know, this is the result of them.”