We're covering another huge trial every day on The Australian's daily news podcast The Front.  Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian’s app. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet, and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Original music is composed by Jasper Leak.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to Hedley Thomas reading Chapter 1 of his new book, The Teacher's Pet. The book is published by Pan Macmillan and is available at all good bookstores, and wherever you get audiobooks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode synopsis (show notes): Three books on this remarkable story are published: Hedley Thomas’ book The Teacher’s Pet, Shanelle Dawson’s memoir My Mother’s Eyes, and lawyer Rebecca Hazel’s The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher, and His Wife.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search The Teacher's Accuser or visit theteachersaccuser.com.au.  For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hedley and the team are back to dissect Judge Sarah Huggett’s three-year sentence for Chris Dawson’s unlawful carnal knowledge of a schoolgirl.  But in another court, a new drama plays out as education authorities try to dodge accountability for his crimes. We hear the first-hand accounts of students who encountered Dawson in his heyday, and examine the prison reality of a man whose narcissism has brought him all the way back to where it all began.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search The Teacher's Accuser or visit theteachersaccuser.com.au.  For daily updates, subscribe to The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grey, shrunken and hiding his face, Chris Dawson is sentenced for unlawful carnal knowledge of a schoolgirl. Hedley Thomas joins us. Find out more about The Front podcast here and read about this story and more on The Australian's website or search for The Australian in your app store. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet, and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Original music is composed by Jasper Leak.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hedley Thomas, Claire Harvey and David Murray reveal how our smash-hit podcasts get made. Find out more about The Front podcast here and read about this story and more on The Australian's website or search for The Australian in your app store. This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Kristen Amiet, and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Our regular host is Claire Harvey and original music is composed by Jasper Leak.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian's global smash-hit podcast Teacher's Pet returns for Australian audiences on July 1. You can find it wherever you got this podcast. Just search for "The Teacher's Pet". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Michael Dawson has been found guilty of carnal knowledge of a complainant who was his student at Cromer High School in 1980. The Front is The Australian's daily news podcast. You can find it wherever you got this podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Michael Dawson will likely die in prison. That was the stark declaration of Justice Ian Harrison SC in the NSW Supreme Court, sentencing Dawson to 24 years imprisonment with no chance of parole until 2040. We hear every word of Justice Ian Harrison’s sentencing remarks, plus reactions from Lyn and Chris’ family, and from the police and lawyers. And we revisit some of the voices you heard right at the beginning of this podcast investigation: the women who believed Lyn had been murdered, and who refused to be silent. Plus, Hedley meets one very special member of our audience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lyn's oldest daughter, Shanelle Dawson, walked into a Sydney courtroom and spoke from the heart about the killing of her mother, the selfishness of her father, and the ongoing damage to her life as a result of the murder. Shanelle's extraordinary victim impact statement, delivered by her through tears, sorrow and anger, brought witnesses and even court staff to tears. Lyn's siblings, Greg Simms and Pat Jenkins, shared their pain too, as Justice Ian Harrison weighed the sentence he will impose on convicted killer Chris Dawson, 40 years after Lyn's death. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or go here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hedley Thomas, Claire Harvey, David Murray, and Matthew Condon return to cover hearings in a major public inquiry into Queensland's state-run DNA lab.  A new episode will be published at the end of every week, for the duration of the inquiry. Search for Shandee's Story in your podcast app, and press follow or subscribe to be notified when new episodes are released. You can read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the inquiry at theaustralian.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our third and final episode diving into Justice Ian Harrison's meticulously detailed judgment, we look at the evidence of Lyn being bruised and her accounts of being subjected to acts of violence at the hands of her husband Chris. Hedley, Claire, Matthew, and David also discuss the judge’s findings about the evidence given by members of the Simms and Dawson camps, as well as “the paper boy" and "the trolley boy". As this will be our final episode for some time, we consider Lyn Dawson's legacy and hear from one listener about the profound impact a verdict 40 years in the making has had on her. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or go here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“A brilliant piece of writing.” That’s the verdict of acclaimed author Matthew Condon on Justice Ian Harrison’s 238-page judgment. Our in-depth analysis of the decision begins with the lie that brought Chris Dawson's defence undone: a call – supposedly made by his wife, Lyn – to  the Northbridge Baths on January 9, 1982. Hedley, Claire, David, and Matthew also take a closer look at the evidence of JC, turning up damning details of how Dawson would buy the teenage student chocolate before they had sex in his car. The convicted killer’s sex with JC continued in his school office, at his university, his twin brother’s home and in his own home when Lyn was in the shower or asleep. We revisit comments by the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Nicholas Cowdery QC, in 2018 that Lyn could still be alive, that shocked her family. And Hedley and Claire meet The Honourable Geoffrey Davies, a former judge of the Queensland Court of Appeal, who says it’s hard to understand how it took 40 years to prosecute. You can see Liam Mendes' photo of Paul Dawson here.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or go here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forty years after Lyn Dawson disappeared from Sydney's Northern Beaches, Christopher Michael Dawson has been convicted of her murder. In this episode, we'll take you to the moments leading up to and following that pivotal moment.  Hedley Thomas, Claire Harvey, David Murray, and Matthew Condon share their experience of being in the courtroom when Justice Ian Harrison handed down his explosive verdict. Plus, we'll hear what this finding means for Lyn's family, who never stopped fighting for justice for their beloved daughter, sister, and aunt.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or go here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Michael Dawson has finally learned his fate after Justice Ian Harrison handed down his verdict in the NSW Supreme Court. Dawson was charged with one count of murdering his wife, Lynette, in early 1982. We hear from retired homicide detective, Gary Jubelin, what happens next, now that the marathon trial and deliberations have wrapped.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 40 years, a verdict is just days away. As anticipation builds, we answer more of your questions: What happened to the dressmaker who Lyn talked to about her bruises and her “violent” husband Chris? Do inquest findings carry any weight in a criminal trial? What does reasonable doubt mean anyway? We have a frank and honest discussion about how the language we use to talk about crime has evolved. And we hear from a woman who's travelling hundreds of kilometres to hear the verdict in person out of respect for Lyn, a woman she has never met.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We finally get an answer to the question that's been lingering for weeks: when will Justice Ian Harrison return a verdict? We're also taking the opportunity to answer some of the fascinating and complex questions sent in by you, our listeners. And we meet a figure who's loomed over the trial of Christopher Michael Dawson: Helena Simms, the mother of Lynette Dawson, who never stopped looking for her beloved, lost daughter.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two coroners examined Lyn Dawson’s disappearance and recommended a ‘known person’ - her husband Chris - be charged with her murder. We delve into how the inquests unfolded, finding out what one of the coroners had to say when Chris, his twin brother Paul, and Paul’s wife Marilyn did not attend. And we explore the interaction between podcasting and the criminal justice system, talking to two women who turned to audio investigations after all else failed, with remarkable results. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial, search 'The Teacher's Trial' or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We revisit the volatile decade that was the 1970s, Chris and Paul Dawson’s heyday. They were at the peak of their celebrity as well known sporting figures and male models, exploiting the novelty of being identical twins in everything they did. Many years later as police close in over Lyn’s suspected murder, phone-taps capture more conversations between the brothers and within the Dawson clan. And we take a look at the role of the meticulous young Homicide Unit cold case detective who first became involved in 2015 and ultimately brought the murder case to court. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.  Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From bewildered to furious, Chris and Paul Dawson vent their true feelings in tapped phone calls over two decades, as the lingering mystery of Lyn’s disappearance draws the attention of police, journalists and the wider world. Retired detective inspector of homicide Gary Jubelin takes us inside the emotion and suspense of a murder trial, and defence lawyer Karen Espiner breaks down the tactical decisions and judicial process at play. Plus, an evocative exploration of Lyn’s family and their long wait for answers. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.  Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sue Strath is that rare, loyal friend who never turns away, who never gives up. Her efforts to poke and prod police into action over the disappearance of Lyn Dawson makes Sue one of the few heroines of a tragic story. Sue kept agitating for 16 years, although she was sure that Lyn was dead. The facts and chronology of the case show that Sue's persistence caused the police investigation in the late 1990s which led to much of the evidence presented in the murder trial. Sue was in the witness box at the murder trial for only a short time but her fascinating story battling bureaucrats and cops is unpacked here, along with all the developments in the case since Justice Harrison adjourned to consider a verdict and write his judgment. And, as the Dawson twins turn 74, Chris faces another court -- this time on a charge of carnal knowledge of a student from his time at Cromer High.  Plus, we meet some more inspiring women: the dedicated court-watchers who’ve been in the public gallery each day.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.  Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Dawson is a man of good character, badly let down by police and unfairly tainted over the disappearance of his wife: that's the essence of the Defence's closing address on behalf of the accused. Finally, the court got to hear Dawson's side of the story. Through barrister Pauline David, he admitted having behaved 'horribly' towards Lyn by beginning a relationship with babysitter JC, leaving his wife in such despair she walked out and cut off all contact with her family. We heard from a surprising defence witness, and got some clues about Justice Ian Harrison's thinking, as he sought Ms David's rebuttal of the Crown's case. We hear the voices of Dawson family insiders, including Chris himself, in flashbacks to The Teacher's Pet investigation. This is our longest episode yet, as we explore the fine detail of Chris' claims to be an innocent man, wrongly persecuted.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.  Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Obsessed with teenage babysitter JC, Christopher Dawson murdered his wife Lyn in terror of losing what he so deeply desired. That was the powerful thrust of a meticulous and forensic closing address, delivered over two days by Crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC. Everson said Dawson made four separate plans to escape his marriage before ultimately killing Lyn, disposing of her body and racing to South West Rocks to collect JC and install her in the family home, wearing Lyn's clothes and her rings.This is the first of two episodes focusing on the closing submissions by each side. Next episode: The Defence Closes.To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here.For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app.The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT. Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police taps on Chris Dawson’s phone in 2018 as episodes of The Teacher’s Pet were unfolding reveal him and his twin brother Paul raging over the former babysitter-cum-wife JC, as well as journalists, TV crews and homicide cop Damian Loone. In one intercept Chris discloses he was still hearing from Lyn some ‘six or eight weeks’ after she disappeared - although in 1982 he told police his contact with Lyn ceased after a week. He says of Lyn: 'she took off'. The evidentiary value of bruises described by witnesses on Lyn’s arms, neck and leg is weighed by the judge as the trial reaches its pointy end. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hedley Thomas, the award-winning journalist behind The Teacher's Pet podcast, enters the witness box in the trial's eighth week. Thomas mounts a fiery defence of investigative journalism amid a fierce cross-examination by defence barrister Pauline David. Detective Damian Loone also returns to the witness box for a grilling over his investigative methods and integrity. The former cop stands firm under the onslaught, defending his actions in seeking justice for Lyn and answers for her family. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Hedley Thomas will be in the witness box in the trial of Chris Dawson. The Australian's daily news podcast The Front will be publishing daily updates. Search for The Front in your podcast app, and hit the follow or subscribe button to get daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson and Hedley's appearance as a witness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A retired cop makes an explosive revelation that an unverified and fleeting purported sighting of Lyn Dawson at a fruit barn closed down the first homicide investigation in the early 1990s. The court hears investigative files were left to decay in a damp storage facility, never to be found again. An author and confidante of family babysitter `JC’ speaks of her motivations for writing a book about her friend’s saga with Chris and Lyn Dawson, and her transition from student to teenage bride and “sex slave”. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The names and reputations of Sydney’s most notorious crime figures are connected to Chris Dawson’s murder trial, as the focus turns to the gangland milieu surrounding the Newtown Jets rugby league club. The crown’s criminally-connected witness Robert Silkman speaks of his friendship with heroin trafficker and Newtown teammate Paul Hayward, and his drinking buddy and brother-in-law, psychopathic contract killer Neddy Smith. Silkman’s claims that Dawson asked him to help “get rid” of Lyn after a Newtown players' trip to the Gold Coast are ferociously attacked by the defence team.  To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The voices of Chris and Paul Dawson echo through the court once more as intercepted phone calls from the late '90s are played publicly for the first time. Members of the Dawson family, including twin brother Paul and sister-in-law Marilyn, recall the events leading up to and following Lynette Dawson’s disappearance decades earlier and mount a fierce defence of the accused. The Crown bolsters evidence from former Dawson family babysitter JC, calling on former school friends and fellow playgroup mums to testify about her life in Queensland and the deterioration of her marriage to Chris Dawson. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The court hears Chris Dawson's story in his own words as video of his first and only police interview on the topic of his wife's disappearance is played in full. His brother, Peter Dawson, remembers the crucial weeks and months following Lynette Dawson's disappearance and a teenage co-worker of JC recounts a frightening encounter with Chris Dawson, who allegedly warned him to stay away from JC. And this decades-old cold case hits a very modern road bump thanks to COVID-19.   To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s an intense and emotional week in court as Lyn’s workmates and friends tell of a steady deterioration of her marriage to Chris Dawson. Witnesses are tested on allegations of bruising on Lyn and violence and aggression in the home. The evidence takes us from the school grounds of Cromer High to seaside village South West Rocks, to the backdrop of a chart-topping song. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Dawson’s former babysitter “JC” gives evidence that he groomed her, then turned her into his “sex slave” and a substitute mother for his children after his wife Lyn’s sudden disappearance. Lyn’s friend and neighbour Julie Andrew and siblings Greg Simms and Pat Jenkins tell of the trauma of the past 40 years, as their nightmare is brought to life through diaries, letters and photographs. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four decades after former star footballer and high school teacher Chris Dawson allegedly murdered his wife Lyn, a murder trial her family feared would never happen has begun. The prosecution revealed that a new witness - a former Newtown Jets team-mate of the accused wife killer - will allege Dawson asked him in 1975 to help 'get rid' of Lyn. Dawson strenuously denies wrongdoing. And in the leadup to the trial for the most high profile cold case in Australia's history, judges gave their verdicts on Dawson's right to a fair trial in light of The Teacher's Pet podcast series, the delays of 40 years since Lyn's disappearance, and the conduct of earlier police investigations. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app. The National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service can be reached on 1800RESPECT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Hedley Thomas and the journalists at The Australian, The Teacher's Trial follows the events in the trial of Chris Dawson, who is accused of the murder of his wife Lynette Dawson. To read The Australian's ongoing coverage of the trial search The Teacher's Trial or click here. For daily updates on the trial of Chris Dawson search for The Front in your podcast app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.