CHRIS Dawson murdered his wife Lynn, before moving in with the family’s babysitter who he was having an affair with.
He and his brother Paul are featured in ITV’s Twisted Twins series which details how an investigative podcast helped put Chris behind bars. Here’s everything you need to know about the twins.
Chris Dawson
Chris was born on July 26, 1948, in Syndey, Australia, and was one half of a set of twins.
Both he and his twin Paul became professional rugby players after leaving school and both played for Eastern Suburbs and the Newtown Jets.
Chris met his wife Lynette Simms while he was still at school in 1965 and the couple got married just two years later.
Lynette later gave birth to Shanelle and her younger sister, Sherynn.
The mum-of-two went missing in January 1982 and, just two days after her disappearance, the family’s babysister was invited to move in.
Teen babysitter Joanne Curtis was in a relationship with Chris and was only 16 years old at the time.
Joanne and Chris married in 1984, with Chris filling for divorce from his missing wife just a year after she disappeared.
He claimed that she had joined a commune as a result of their marital problems.
Lynette’s body has never been found, but two corneal inquests ruled that she was murdered by a known person.
The investigative podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, hosted by journalist Hedly Thomas, investigated Lynette’s disappearance and had been downloaded 28 million times by December 2018.
The series created a renewed interest in the case and Chris was arrested in December 2018 for Lynettes murder.
By December 2022, he had been found guilty and sentenced to 24 years in jail with a non-parole period of 18 years.
In May 2023, Chris faced charges again though this time they were related to “carnal knowledge” of a student in his class.
He was found guilty in June 2023 and sentenced in September that year to three more years in prison.
Paul Dawson
Like his brother, Paul was a professional rugby league footballer.
After he finished his Rugby career, he became a P.E teacher just like Chris though they both taught at different schools.
Paul married his wife, Marilyn, in 1969 and the couple had three daughters together,
The twin has been accused of having sex with students, but has denied any wrongdoing.
Shelley Oates-Wilding, one of the women who has accused him, spoke exclusively to 60 Minutes.
She said: “When you’re 15 and 16, you don’t know (when someone is grooming you). I mean, we didn’t know that word at that stage.”
ITV Series
The ITV series detailing Lynette’s murder will begin on October 1, 2024.
The show will air from 9pm-10pm but viewers can catch up on ITVX if they miss the live showing.
The second episode will air a week later on October 8, 2024.
