During the highly publicised trial of Chris Dawson, the court has been told that Lynette Dawson told her sister that her husband Chris was “angry with her all the time” and thought he needed to see a doctor.
Chris Dawson is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court over the alleged murder of Lynette, four decades after her disappearance from Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The former teacher and rugby league player has pleaded not guilty, denying killing her and disposing of her body.
Mr Dawson’s defence have claimed that he had no reason to want her to disappear and have denied allegations that he wanted to hire a hitman.
On the second day of evidence, Ms Dawson’s sister Patricia Jenkins told the court she last spoke to Ms Dawson in early January 1982, just weeks before her disappearance.
The court was told the Mr Dawson developed a sexual relationship with one of his students, who later moved into the Dawson’s home as a babysitter.
Just before Christmas in 1981, Mr Dawson left his home with the girl, who can only be known as JC for legal reasons, leaving Lynette with her two young children.
However, he retuned several days later.
Ms Jenkins told the court that Ms Dawson found out about Mr Dawson leaving when she arrived home to find his clothes and pillow gone and a note on the bed.
“Don’t paint too dark a picture of me to the girls,” the note read, Ms Jenkins said.
Ms Jenkins said when she spoke to her sister prior to Christmas in 1981, Ms Dawson had expressed concern about Mr Dawson’s health because she thought he was often “angry”.
“She said to me he was always so angry with her all the time,” Ms Jenkins said.
“Her descriptive words were ‘his black eyes flashing’. And she thought he needed to go see a doctor to see if it was some physical cause that he would react to her in such an angry way.”
Image credits: Nine News
This article first appeared on OverSixty.