He has been sentenced to a maximum of 24 years for the homicide.

At an appeal hearing in March, Dawson’s lawyers attempted to cast doubt on AB’s claims she had been sexually abused before her 17th birthday.

A person can only be convicted under the carnal knowledge offence – which was in place in 1982 – if the complainant is between 16 and 17 years old.

Dawson also claimed the verdict was unreasonable, asking the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal to overturn it.

The 76-year-old previously failed to overturn a different conviction related to the murder of his wife Lynette in January 1982.

A District Court trial in 2023 revealed that Dawson, who was a PE teacher at the time, manipulated AB during fitness classes and initiated a tennis match to introduce the girl to his wife, eventually having her babysit. The teenager began an intimate relationship with Dawson and moved into his residence shortly after Lynette’s murder and the concealment of her body, as determined by the NSW Supreme Court in his 2022 murder conviction.

Dawson is incarcerated at Sydney’s Silverwater prison.

His 18-year non-parole period for murder expires in 2040.