David asked, “Clearly, the only person he was prosecuting was Chris Dawson as the perpetrator of this crime?”
“I don’t see it as research, I was trying to tell a story as complete as I could. He was the only suspect [of whom] I was aware, “Thomas replied.
David asked, “I want to suggest that you embarked on a campaign to incite prejudice against him, against the accused?”
“No, I disagree,” Thomas replied.
He accepted that the message he had conveyed to Lynette’s family was that it would help them seek justice, and he also accepted that “justice for Lyn” meant the prosecution of Chris Dawson.
“I think it’s a fair call, yes,” Thomas said.
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He was taken to several television appearances he made, including in Nine’s 60 Minutes, during which he had described Dawson as a “despicable person,” severely narcissistic and dangerous.
Thomas admitted that he had never met Dawson, but said he was asked for his “personal opinion,” which was based on coronal findings, thousands of pages of material, and interviews he conducted.
“I don’t think you have to know anyone to have a view on them,” he said.
“That … was my opinion, and it hasn’t changed.”
He acknowledged that he had expressed himself “strongly” and “probably wouldn’t do it again.”
The court heard an audio excerpt from Thomas telling a witness he felt Dawson “got away with his murder.” Thomas gave evidence that he had believed that a “proper excavation” of the couple’s Bayview property needed to be done and had been disappointed when no body was found.
Thomas denied receiving money when someone listened to the 16-episode podcast, which he said had amassed 60 million downloads internationally. The Crown presented a list of witnesses with whom Thomas had spoken, with 24 names.
The defense claims that prejudice issues have arisen from the “contamination” of the witnesses involved in the podcast.
Thomas said the case was 36 years old when The Teacher’s Pet was released in 2018 and “there had been no prosecution.”
David asked, “Your hope was to make one?”
“I was hoping to eliminate new witnesses or evidence that could make a difference,” Thomas said.
Asked by David if the podcast made him “famous” because he had won a Walkley Award for it, Thomas replied, “I don’t think so.”
“It was the seventh [Walkley]. It was not a novel or something new.
The Crown alleges that Dawson was motivated to murder by the desire to have a free relationship with his nanny and former student, known as JC. His trial alone before Judge Ian Harrison continues.
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