[urlhttps://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/cold-case-breakthrough-chris-dawson-arrested/news-story/fe2ed4ede6eae82ca67e48a703f9a428][/url]

CHRIS Dawson, the husband of Lynette Dawson who disappeared from Sydney’s northern beaches in the early 1980s, has been arrested in Queensland.

Just before 8am this morning, 70-year-old Mr Dawson, from Coolum, was arrested by detectives from the Queensland Police Service’s Homicide Squad.

BACKGROUND: WHO IS CHRIS DAWSON?

SHANELLE DAWSON ON MUM’S DISAPPEARANCE

He was then taken to the Southport watchhouse. NSW detectives will apply for his extradition at his first court appearance. It’s believed he will be charged with murder.

Lynette Dawson’s family has been advised of today’s arrest.

NSW Police will address the media this morning.

Mrs Dawson went missing aged 33 from the house on January 8, 1982.

The case was the centre of this year's award-winning podcast Teacher’s Pet, run by News Corp’s The Australian.

Coroner findings from two inquests, between 2001-2003, found Lynette was murdered by her husband.

No charges were levelled at Dawson, with the Director of Public Prosecutions ruling there was

insufficient evidence. Mr Dawson has always maintained he is innocent

In 2015, detectives from the Homicide Squad’s Unsolved Homicide Unit established Strike Force Scriven to re-investigate the circumstances surrounding Mrs Dawson’s disappearance and suspected murder.

Following extensive investigations, Strike Force Scriven detectives requested the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) review their brief of evidence in April 2018.

Earlier this week, the ODPP provided advice to police that they had sufficient evidence to charge Dawson, and following further inquiries, detectives applied for an arrest warrant before travelling to the Gold Coast last night.

The development comes after police this year spent in excess of $500,000 on a mammoth forensic search in Bayview, Sydney, in the hope of unearthing clues into Lynette’s disappearance at the family home.

The $2.4 million five-bedroom property at 2 Gilwinga Dr was owned by Chris Dawson and his former wife when she went missing.
At the time of Mrs Dawson’s disappearance the couple lived at the home with their two daughters aged four and two.

Mr Dawson was a sports teacher at Cromer High and was having an affair with pupil Joanne Curtis, which started when she was 16, when Mrs Dawson disappeared.

Miss Curtis had become the family’s babysitter.

The Dawsons had built the family home with the help of money lent to them by Mrs Dawson’s parents.

In the 1970s Mr Dawson was a professional footy player with the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Rugby League, playing alongside his twin brother, Paul Dawson.

Mr Dawson was also a part-time model for jeans and corn chips during his playing days.

He and his twin brother Paul were well known in the northern beaches of Sydney.

It was following his retirement from professional footy in the late 1970s, that Mr Dawson became a physical education teacher at Cromer High School.

Earlier this year Sherryn Dawson, one of Chris and Lyn’s daughters, defended her father, calling the Teacher’s Pet podcast a “witch hunt”.

Following today’s arrest Lynette Dawson’s brother Greg Simms told The Daily Telegraph: “I’m the happiest man alive today and if Lynette is up there looking down, she’d be smiling at us.

“I am ecstatic, very emotional and teary.

“This was our last chance with the DPP and we’ve finally got a result.

“I’m just so relieved, I want to find out every detail of what happened to my sister, every minute detail. It’s been years and finally we might get closure.


I am wondering how many other ex husbands/wives are looking over their shoulders.. when they see these old cases being reviewed.....so many unsolved murders....   and they are doing a wonderful job on solving these old cases.....