The carnal knowledge trial of Chris Dawson has heard testimony about an allegedly heated altercation in which he allegedly warned a young boy to avoid the 16-year-old girl he was romantically involved with.
The former instructor has entered a not guilty plea to one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 17 when she was older than 10.
According to the complainant, who goes by the name AB, sexual activity started when she was 16 years old.
Although he doesn’t deny the sexual activity, Dawson, who is presently serving a 24-year prison term for the murder of his first wife Lynette Simms, claims it started when AB was older.
The complainant, known only as AB, and the man who gave the testimony on Tuesday both worked at a Northern Beaches supermarket when they were teenagers.
The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted to the court that he found her to be “very attractive” and that he had at least once asked her out.
“I would have said [do you want to] see a movie, or ‘see you at the disco,’ or something like that,” he said.
He testified to the court that Dawson approached him while he was gathering trolleys in the supermarket’s underground parking lot sometime after the failed date attempt.
Mr. Dawson emerged from the shadows… He walked up to me and began to push my chest. Rather than forcefully, in a menacing manner.
Although he claimed to have never met Dawson, he claimed to have recognized the former rugby league player from television and because Dawson’s twin brother Paul had served as his coach.
He claimed that it wasn’t until Dawson mentioned AB’s name that he realized who Dawson was alluding to.
Dawson doesn’t dispute that there was an altercation, but defense attorney Claire Wasley stated during cross-examination that it did not happen the way the witness said.
“What I propose is that although the accused approached you, he didn’t touch you and made no threats in any manner. Do you concur with that or disagree?” she asked.
“Disagree,” he said.
Ms Wasley stated the witness had asked AB on a date “more than twice,” and alluded to a previous interview in which he’d told a reporter he’d done so “every second or third week”.
The witness responded, “It’s conceivable.”
“We were 16 years old 44 years ago… We didn’t do anything or go anywhere.
This week, a former student at the high school where Dawson worked testified in court that AB had the air of a “celebrity” who seemed to be Dawson’s “sidekick” and would stick close to him when he was on duty in the playground.
She appeared to be working with him on the playground, which was unusual because teachers typically worked alone.
According to a different former pupil, she entered Dawson’s office one day in 1980 to give him a note excused her from class so she could visit the dentist.
“[AB] was sitting on the desk and Chris Dawson was standing between her legs,” she added.
“From memory, [AB] didn’t say anything and Mr Dawson just asked me, what did I want?”
Under cross-examination the defence provided the witness a police statement in which she had initially said the event happened while she was in year 10.
“Clearly, [saying] that I was in year 10 was incorrect… I had the dental work done in year nine,” the witness said.
Justice Sarah Huggett is still hearing evidence in the case.
