By Tom Steinfort, Sheree Gibson and Perry Duffin
The twin brother of jailed wife killer Chris Dawson, Paul, has been accused of having sex with an underage student when he worked as a teacher on Sydney’s northern beaches in the 1980s.
The former student, airing the allegations on 60 Minutes, said she had “intimate” contact with Paul Dawson while his brother Chris had sex with another underage student in the same pool.
Paul and Chris, both now 75, were both working as teachers at neighbouring schools in the city’s north when Chris’ wife, Lynette Simms, vanished in 1982.
Main photo: Chris Dawson before the announcement of the murder verdict last year. Inset: Dawson with Lynette on their wedding day in 1970.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Chris murdered his 33-year-old wife to carry on a relationship with a former student from Cromer high school, known as JC, who babysat the couple’s children, a judge found.
The killer was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison for the act of “self-indulgent brutality” in 2022.
Then, in June this year, Chris was found guilty of an “carnal knowledge” with underage teenager identified only as AB.
Former Forest High School student Shelley Oates-Wilding told Nine’s 60 Minutes program Paul Dawson had sex with her in the years leading up to Simms’ disappearance. Nine is the owner of this masthead.
Oates-Wilding was aged 15 or 16 at the time of the “intimate” contact with Paul, she said.
“There’d be times at the fitness classes where we’d be in the store room together, or there’d be times in (the) pool where we’d be intimate,” Oates-Wilding said.
“But usually at most of those, there’d be his brother and they were used to doing this type of thing.”
Chris Dawson’s carnal knowledge trial heard both of the Dawson brothers had sex with teenage girls at opposite ends of the same pool.
Lynette Dawson in 1975.Credit: NSW Supreme Court/ABC
Paul Dawson said he “never” had sex with Oates-Wilding.
“You’d have to ask her why she made it up,” he told 60 Minutes. When asked why his former student would lie, Paul Dawson criticised the media.
“You haven’t wanted to know before so why would you want to know now?” Paul said. “I’ve said the allegations are false.”
The Dawson twins in the early 1980s held gilded reputations as former Newtown Jets rugby league stars. Oates-Wilding said the Dawsons were idolised by their students.
“They were like superstars,” she said.
“When you have somebody who’s extremely good looking, great athlete, extremely personable, charismatic, and to have that person showing attention to you. I mean, you’re 15 or 16 years of age.
“So it was exciting, super exciting.”
Oates-Wilding said she was 15 or 16-years-old at the time she was “intimate” with Paul even though it was illegal for a teacher to have sex with a student younger than 17.
Retired detective Damian Loone investigated Simms’ disappearance and the case against Chris. He told 60 Minutes he spoke to multiple women who alleged sexual contact with Paul Dawson while they were underage.
He described the allegations of group sex with underage girls as “terrible”.
“One I know of was 16 at the time, that’s for sure,” he said. “The others, if I can recall correctly that they were school students. But certainly, what happened was disgusting.”
Oates-Wilding went on to be an Olympic kayaker, and now lives in Hawaii teaching resilience to children.
“So for me, if I can make sure that there’s no more people grooming and in terms of the kids knowing, okay, this isn’t right, then I feel that I’ve made a positive difference. And that’s my goal,” she said.
Paul Dawson denied he had sex with any of his students.
Police launched an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by northern beaches students in the 1970s and 80s.
There are no current court cases, and former detective Loone said it was up to the former students if they wished to go to the police.
“It’s up to them,” he said.
“Some may feel a strength to pursue something now, I don’t know. But we have to also look after the welfare of the victims as well. And that’s paramount because it’s their own mental health.”
Watch the full episode of 60 Minutes on 9Now.
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