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Sydney, Australia — A former Australian highschool instructor convicted of murdering his spouse after a success podcast unearthed new proof was on Friday sentenced to 24 years in jail. Chris Dawson, 74, was discovered responsible of killing Lynette Dawson some 40 years in the past whereas pursuing an affair together with his teenage babysitter and former scholar.
Her physique was by no means discovered and there have been few leads within the case till 2018 when “The Teacher’s Pet” podcast sparked renewed public curiosity and finally a contemporary police investigation.
The homicide had been pushed by Dawson’s “possessive infatuation” together with his former scholar, which led him to kill his spouse, Judge Ian Harrison mentioned Friday whereas saying the 24-year jail sentence.
There is a non-parole interval of 18 years.
“Mr Dawson is not old by contemporary standards, but he will not live to reach the end of his non-parole period,” Harrison mentioned.
Dawson strenuously maintained his innocence all through the trial.
“The Teacher’s Pet” was hosted by journalist Hedley Thomas, and some months after its first episodes had been launched, Dawson was arrested in December 2018.
It drew comparisons to the genre-defining “Serial” podcast within the United States, which performed a pivotal function in overturning a person’s conviction for murdering his girlfriend.
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Greg Simms — Lynette Dawson’s brother — on Friday thanked Thomas.
“My hope is that the media and police will work collaboratively in future cases,” Simms mentioned exterior the court docket following the sentencing. “It’s our time to begin living our lives without having this hanging over our heads.”