Matter of Christopher Dawson - 1 September 2022

Statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) NSW
On 30 August 2022, Christopher Dawson was found guilty of the murder of his first wife, Lynette, after a judge-alone trial in the NSW Supreme Court.

Some media reports following the verdict suggest that the ODPP’s decision to prosecute Mr Dawson was the result of outside influence.

The Director of Public Prosecutions acts independently and impartially, and the ODPP advises in, institutes and conducts proceedings in the public interest in accordance with the Prosecution Guidelines. Decisions about criminal prosecutions are made free of inappropriate influence of political, individual or other sectional interests, including media coverage or public sentiment.

Determining whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction requires evaluating the likely strength of the admissible evidence the prosecution would present to the court, bearing in mind that the prosecution has to prove each element of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.

The public interest is the paramount consideration in deciding whether to prosecute.