Latest news with #CarolClay
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
Next step in missing camper killer Greg Lynn's appeal bid
High country killer Greg Lynn's appeal is set to be heard in court at the end of October. Found guilty at trial in 2024 of murdering 73-year-old Carol Clay, Lynn, aged 58, is expected to have his sentence and conviction appeal heard on October 31. Lynn's lawyers will argue the 32-year sentence - and 24-year non-parole period - were manifestly excessive. His defence team will also argue he has suffered a 'substantial miscarriage of justice'. Ms Clay and her childhood sweetheart, 74-year-old Russell Hill, disappeared while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, about 180km northeast of Melbourne, in March 2020. In 2024, Lynn was found guilty by a jury of murdering Mrs Clay, who he shot in the head, and acquitted by the same jury of the murder of Mr Hill. Lynn, a former Jetstar pilot, has maintained his innocence. In a letter read to the court at sentencing, Lynn said: 'Your Honour I am disappointed and perplexed by the jury's verdict as I have not killed anyone and will be appealing'. 'Due to current community sentiment I understand my apology will likely be rejected by most. I don't ask for forgiveness I'm simply sorry for what I have done.' Lynn apologised for his 'selfish and callous' efforts to burn Ms Clay's and Mr Hill's remains, saying he had reasons at the time. In appeal, his lawyers will contest five key points in an attempt to overturn the conviction, or get a reduced sentence. Documents filed by his lawyers show criticism of the Crown Prosecutor will be a central argument. Lynn's lawyers will argue prosecutor Daniel Porceddu breached fairness rules by not putting key statements to Lynn while he was in the witness box. Evidence from a police ballistics expert represented a 'serious departure' from fair trial rules too, Lynn's lawyers believe. The last two grounds of appeal against Lynn's conviction relate to how the jury reached its verdict, arguing they travelled down an 'impermissible pathway' in their deliberations and that the verdict is 'unsafe and satisfactory'. Lynn will further argue his 32-year sentence — seven years above the standard sentence of 25 — is 'manifestly excessive'. 'The long-term future of that guilty verdict must be seen as being in great doubt,' barrister Dermot Dann KC said at Lynn's first court appearance following the split verdict. In a related hearing in another court, Mr Dann also mentioned his view that media reports of unrelated matters involving Lynn may have 'poisoned the well of justice'. Mr Hill and Ms Clay went missing in March 2020. Lynn was questioned for four days and charged in November 2021. Police only found Mr Hill and Ms Clay's remains about two years after Lynn's arrest.
ABC News
23-07-2025
- ABC News
Court date set for High Country killer Greg Lynn to fight for appeal
A date has been set for the next step in High Country killer Greg Lynn's push to overturn his murder conviction. A jury last year found Lynn, 58, guilty of Carol Clay's murder but acquitted him of murdering Russell Hill in Victoria's High Country in March 2020. On Wednesday, a court heard the date for the former Jetstar pilot's application for leave to appeal — where it will be decided whether Lynn's appeal against his conviction can proceed — had been set for October 31. Lynn was sentenced to 32 years' jail last year over Ms Clay's murder. Ms Clay, 73, was shot in a struggle that that also claimed the life of her lover, Mr Hill, 74. During his trial, the prosecution argued Lynn's "disproportionate" actions to contaminate the crime scene and dispose of the bodies was incriminating conduct that pointed to murder. However, Lynn's lawyers described a scenario of two tragic, accidental killings. The pair were last seen alive during their camping trip in the Wonnangatta Valley, about five hours east of Melbourne, in March 2020. The trial heard Lynn crossed paths with the retired campers, where an argument over his hunting activities, loud music and Mr Hill's drone escalated into struggles over a gun and a knife. Lynn claimed Mr Hill stole his shotgun, and the two men had wrestled over it, and that Ms Clay was shot in the head when the weapon discharged. He said Mr Hill was also accidentally killed during a subsequent tussle over a knife. Lynn was the only survivor and there were no witnesses. During his trial, Lynn claimed he torched Ms Clay and Mr Hill's campsite fearing nobody would believe the deaths were accidental. He admitted to transporting the pair's bodies and dumping them near the remote Union Spur Track, where he later returned to incinerate them. Lynn was taken into custody in late 2021, and soon afterwards, Mr Hill and Ms Clay's remains were found. During sentencing remarks, Justice Michael Croucher called Ms Clay's death "a very grave example of murder". But he also said there were elements of the case that remained unclear, including exactly what unfolded during the deadly fight at Bucks Camp, whether Lynn had a motive, and the order in which the campers died. "I am satisfied Mrs Clay was killed instantly when she was shot to the head with Mr Lynn's shotgun," the judge said. "It is a grave crime to extinguish the life of another violently." Lynn pleaded not guilty during the trial and has maintained his innocence, formally lodging his appeal of the verdict in November. According to court documents released by the Supreme Court of Victoria, Lynn's lawyers have appealed based on four grounds, including the argument "a substantial miscarriage of justice" happened due to the jury's decision making. If his appeal is unsuccessful, Lynn will have to serve at least 24 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.
