Chris Dawson, who was charged earlier this month with the murder of his first wife, Lyn Dawson, has been granted $1.5 million bail today, the ABC reports.
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70-year-old Dawson’s bail comes with strict conditions: he needs to live with his wife on the Sunshine Coast, report daily to local police, give up his passport, avoid airports, and provide security worth $1.5 million. That surety includes his property in Coolum, Queensland, and that of his older brother, Peter, in Sydney‘s Dural.
Magistrate Robert Williams said Dawson’s lack of criminal history means he does not pose an unacceptable risk to the community.
In court on Friday, prosecutors suggested that Dawson could be a flight risk, because he has an identical twin, Paul Dawson.
His lawyer Greg Walsh today reiterated outside Central Local Court in Sydney today that there is no evidence that Dawson is a flight risk.
He appeared at two coronial inquests and he has never tried to flee the country before – this is the right decision.
He has had some serious threats in prison, first time in custody, they are now being investigated by the police.
On Friday, prosecutor Craig Everson also outlined some of the circumstantial evidence and witness accounts leading to their decision to charge Dawson.
He explicitly referred to a marriage counselling session where Dawson threatened his wife, saying “If this doesn’t work, I’ll get rid of you.”
Chris Dawson intends to plead not guilty to his first wife’s murder.
The disappearance and suspected murder of then-33-year-old Lyn Dawson by her husband was the focus of The Australian‘s wildly popular and Walkley Award-winning podcast, The Teacher’s Pet.
Lyn Dawson, who lived with her husband and two daughters on Sydney‘s Northern Beaches, was last seen in 1982. Her body has yet to be found.
Dawson is expected to appear in court again in February.
