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Accused wife-killer Chris Dawson has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Lynette.
Last December, Mr Dawson was extradited from the Gold Coast to Sydney charged with the alleged murder of his first wife Lynette in 1982.
His case has become widely known following an investigation by The Australian journalist Hedley Thomas that led to the acclaimed Teacher’s Pet podcast.
He was released on bail on Christmas Eve after his family put up $1.5 million surety and is defending the charge.
On Thursday, Mr Dawson appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. Clean shaven, he was dressed in a dark suit and tie.
His legal team said he had submitted a plea of not guilty on Wednesday.
However, Deputy Chief Magistrate Allen wasn’t impressed by the request to delay the trial until February 2020.
“That’s stretching the friendship isn’t it?” he asked Mr Dawson’s lawyer Greg Walsh.
Mr Walsh said the case could go to the Supreme Court and he was looking to engage a top silk who was unavailable until next year due to other trial commitments.
Furthermore, the sheer amount of material badociated with the case has slowed proceedings down, he said.
“Both the crown and defence are dealing with a large amount of material. Two days ago, 1900 pages of material was disclosed by Mr Thomas and every effort is being made to peruse and badyse that material.”
Mr Walsh said the information already disclosed publicly about the case could lead to a “risk of contamination” about the case which the defence intended to address in an upcoming committal hearing.
He said it was possible the committal hearing wouldn’t take place until October or November anyway and, besides, the whole saga had already taken some time: “This matter goes back 37 years”.
The magistrate did not finalise a trial date and told Mr Dawson his bail conditions were also relaxed so he could attend two family events.
When asked by the magistrate if he understood the next steps Mr Dawson quietly replied, “Yes I do, thank you,” and left the court.
The case returns to court on August 8.
Mr Dawson, a former rugby league player and teacher, was charged in December over the disappearance of his then-wife Lynette on Sydney’s northern beaches in 1982.
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