Court appeal begins for Sydney teacher Chris Dawson after being convicted of murdering wife Lynette Simms in 1982

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NSW News

Crime,Homicide,Murder

Former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson has launched an appeal against his murder conviction with his legal team arguing his first wife was in despair and chose to leave the family home.

Chris Dawson's legal team has argued that his relationship breakdown with his first wife was the reason she disappeared.Former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson and his first wife were at "an absolute crossroads" before she vanished, an appeals court has heard, as his lawyers highlight the despair she experienced to argue that she was not murdered.

Senior Public Defender Belinda Rigg SC today said it was important not to underestimate the "gravity of what had gone through" in considering whether there was a reasonable possibility she was still alive after January 9, 1982. "There was significant evidence of Ms despair and loss of hope and self-esteem over the months in the second half of 1981, as she confided in a number of people in terms of what was happening," she said.Ms Rigg pointed to evidence that Ms Simms was observed to be optimistic and happy following a marriage counselling session shortly before she disappeared, which she submitted was indicative of Dawson having an ongoing, functional relationship.

The babysitter, JC, had not expressed a view that Ms Simms was an impediment to their "relationship", she said. The appeal is based on five grounds, including that the guilty verdict is unreasonable and unable to be supported by the evidence.

 

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