Former rugby league first grader and high school teacher, Chris Dawson, was finally convicted of the murder of his first wife, Lynette, the other week – 40 years after she disappeared.

Dawson, who continues to protest his innocence, probably would have gotten away with it if not for a podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, written and presented by The Australian’s investigative journalist, Hedley Thomas.

With more than 50 million downloads around the world, it reached number one in podcast charts in Australia, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand and is credited for convincing police to reopen the cold-case which eventually led to Dawson’s conviction two weeks ago.

Reading out the guilty verdict, Justice Harrison, mentioned the podcast’s role in his decision many times.

Since Dawson’s conviction, interest in the podcast has been reignited but it will no longer be available through the usual channels. Instead, it will only be available free to subscribers to The Australian.