Chris Dawson will stand trial for the alleged murder of his wife, Lynette, after Australia’s highest court dismissed his application to appeal and for the matter to be struck out.
The former professional rugby league player is accused of killing his wife 40 years ago, after her disappearance in 1982 from Sydney.
A last-ditch effort by his lawyers to have the case permanently halted was dismissed by the high court on Friday.
Dawson, 73, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife.
The NSW supreme court in September 2020 granted a nine-month stay but denied Dawson’s bid to permanently halt proceedings.
Dawson appealed against that decision to the court of criminal appeal which in June 2021 said permanent stays should be reserved only for the “most extreme cases”.
Dawson then took the matter to the high court, seeking special leave to appeal, which was denied on Friday.
His supreme court trial is scheduled to begin in May.