Current Trial Russell Hill & Carol Clay - Wonnangatta *Pilot Greg Lynn Pleads Not Guilty to Murder

[Kurve]

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On the Greg Lynn committal proceedings Crown Prosecutor Mr Dickie said 'It is clear hopefully from the document, and if it's not clear from the document it's clear hopefully from the charges put before the court, that it is alleged of course that the accused acted with murderous intent when he allegedly killed the two victims.'

 

[MiguelM]

“I never expected to be in this courthouse,”
Confident would never be caught.

Snap!!

 

[jason_recliner]

If you never expected to be in this courthouse, why go to all those lengths to hide evidence?

The cover up could easily get him on at least 1 count of murder IMO. Plenty of legal precedents with overwhelming circumstantial evidence that gets a conviction.

I think murder is still a possibility - his story just comes across as such total BS. But if not, he's at least getting manslaughter

 

[FranklinBluth]

“I never expected to be in this courthouse,”
Confident would never be caught.

I can't believe he actually said that in court. What a narcissistic pr**k!

 

[Badd0g]

"Improper storage of a firearm... resulted in the death of one person"

GOT HIM!!!

Agree. As I've said before negligent manslaughter was a slam dunk given he has admitted that re the guns. But I think they'll quit on RH as there just isn't enough evidence. We'll see.

 

[Kurve]

Court adjourned after tense cross-examination​

2m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Kristian Silva
The court has broken for lunch, bringing to an end a tense hour or so of cross-examination by prosecutor Daniel Porceddu.
Throughout the trial, all the people Mr Porceddu has questioned have been witnesses called by the prosecution. The exchanges have been cordial, as he took witnesses through their statements and evidence.
Greg Lynn presented an entirely different proposition.
At times, Mr Porceddu's voice boomed through the courtroom as he fired accusations at Mr Lynn, including that he murdered Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
"That's not true," Mr Lynn replied, calmly.

Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu questioned Greg Lynn on Wednesday afternoon.(AAP: James Ross)
Mr Lynn confirmed that through his training as a pilot, he was able to maintain his composure in stressful situations.
Mr Porceddu then put it to Mr Lynn that he wanted the jury to believe he "unexpectedly panicked" and tried to cover up evidence of the campers' deaths.

"Aren't you trained to be calm and rational?" the prosecutor asked.
"I'm very stressed right now," the accused murderer replied.
"A better result is always achieved without panic."
"I had never been faced with two dead people before."

Proceedings are expected to resume around 2:15pm, with more cross-examination by the prosecutor.

 

[Kurve]

"Aren't you trained to be calm and rational?" the prosecutor asked.
"I'm very stressed right now," the accused murderer replied.
"A better result is always achieved without panic."
"I had never been faced with two dead people before."

Simply put that way, I doubt it. Even I've been faced with two dead people in one day working in Customs and people do die on flights all the time.

What he means, is he's never had to deal with it himself before but we could all be forgiven if we thought his remarkable efficiency in destroying evidence at the scene and dedicated manner in systematically obliterating the remains, leans to experience.

 

[Zidane98]

If you never expected to be in this courthouse, why go to all those lengths to hide evidence?

I think murder is still a possibility - his story just comes across as such total BS. But if not, he's at least getting manslaughter

With all the crap the families have been put through with this highly public trial perhaps Dann agreeing on manslaughter with the DPP would have been a better option for all. They have a full admission for him on other charges too. Should have been enough for 15-20 years.

 

[MiguelM]

Not a good day for defence team. Hope Lynn enjoys his lunch!

 

[taz01]

I can not believe some of what he is saying, fingers crossed the jury see's him for what he really is, to do what he did to cover up the "accidents", goes beyond, wanting himself to disappear, that is just code for get away with it, “I never expected to be in this courthouse,” his whole intention of destroying the bodies is so that there is no proof, no evidence and his bullshit story can't be disproven, his actions after the "accidents" shows guilt in my mind.

 

[GladdyDee]

Questioning turns to gun cleaning​

2m ago
By Judd Boaz
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn was next asked about his decision to clean the firearm at the centre of the struggle with Russell Hill.

Cocky answer, including the one he thought his family’s reaction to 60 mins was ‘comical’ - if that’s correctly reported. Narcissistic personality disorder IMO

 

[jason_recliner]

With all the crap the families have been put through with this highly public trial perhaps Dann agreeing on manslaughter with the DPP would have been a better option for all. They have a full admission for him on other charges too. Should have been enough for 15-20 years.

Nah, good to see him face the unrelenting light of justice in public and squirm. Good for the world to have a laugh at his ridiculous stories, too.

 

[Underarrest_]

"Aren't you trained to be calm and rational?" the prosecutor asked.
"I'm very stressed right now," the accused murderer replied.
"A better result is always achieved without panic."
"I had never been faced with two dead people before."

Simply put that way, I doubt it. Even I've been faced with two dead people in one day working in Customs and people do die on flights all the time.

What he means, is he's never had to deal with it himself before but we could all be forgiven if we thought his remarkable efficiency in destroying evidence at the scene and dedicated manner in systematically obliterating the remains, leans to experience.

Calm and rational would be seek help, call 000, he soon got out of there when he had to so could have got out of there to call 000.

Cocky answer, including the one he thought his family’s reaction to 60 mins was ‘comical’ - if that’s correctly reported. Narcissistic personality disorder IMO

Even if family “thought it was comical” why would you even say that. There’s nothing comical about it.

 

[Kurve]

Likely manslaughter imo.

Most must surely suspect though, that a man who's proved willing to go to such extremes as to risk a massive bushfire that could have killed so many more including wildlife and stock, who was prepared to mutilate and make invisible to their families the bodies of two elderly campers, simply because he didn't want to face the consequences of incorrectly storing firearms, the consequences of losing his club memberships and his privileged lifestyle, would be capable of killing them for the same reasons.

 

[LeChatNoir]

As it happened: What accused killer Gregory Lynn told the jury about missing campers’ deaths

Breaking his silence for the first time, Gregory Lynn revealed to the jury that his family found it “quite comical” how similar his car was to the Nissan Patrol police were searching for in the missing campers case. Follow our live updates.

www.theage.com.au

1.05pm Court breaks for lunch
The court is now taking a break for lunch. The trial will continue at 2.15pm.
We will be back with our rolling coverage when the cross-examination of accused double killer Gregory Lynn resumes.

1.02pm ‘You’re just making this up, aren’t you?’: Prosecutor
Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu is asking Gregory Lynn about a guy rope that was connecting Russell Hill and Carol Clay’s toilet tent to the bullbar of the car where the struggle between Lynn and Hill took place.
Porceddu asks Lynn why it didn’t get in the way.
Lynn: He [Hill] must have lifted it up.
Porceddu: You’re just making this up, aren’t you?
Lynn: No, I’m not making it up ... the guy rope never got in the way of the struggle.”

12.55pm ‘I feared that I would be blamed’: Lynn explains why he didn’t call police
Here is some of what the jury is hearing in courtroom three of the Supreme Court.
Gregory Lynn, 57, is telling the court why he didn’t call police after the deaths of campers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73.
“I feared that I would be blamed for it,” he says.
“It would be devastating for everything that was important for me.”
Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu is asking Lynn about why he didn’t preserve the scene, so police could verify his version of events.
“I could have followed that pathway,” Lynn said. “Things are worse for me now. It’s a disaster, and it would have been a disaster had I gone to the police.”
Porceddu: If you had left him [Hill] with the knife stuck in his heart, wouldn’t have that confirmed your story?
Lynn: Yes, that is evidence that would confirm my story.
Porceddu is also asking Lynn if he had plenty of time to work out a story to tell the police between the time the pair vanished and when police found him.
“To be honest, my plan was to disappear, and for a long time I thought I had, and I hadn’t made up any plans,” Lynn said.

12.48pm Lynn questioned about feeling ‘panicked’ or ‘calm’ after campers’ deaths
Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu is putting to Gregory Lynn that his version of events about Hill discharging the firearm was a cover in case other campers heard multiple shots being fired.
He is asking Lynn about how as a pilot he is trained to think rationally, methodically and calmly in crises, but Porceddu argues that Lynn now wants the jury to believe he was “panicked” after the deaths.
“A better result is always achieved without panic,” Lynn replies. “I had never been faced with two dead people before.”
Porceddu says Lynn still had the presence of mind to go to some effort to clean up the scene, take the firearm away, pack up his own campsite, take the pair’s phones and remove the knife from Hill’s chest.
He asks: “These are signs of a very calm person?”
Lynn replies: “No, I was a panicked person. I’ve been trained to remain calm. I can manage stress.”

12.35pm ‘You shot at her multiple times’: Prosecutor begins cross-examination of Lynn
Accused killer Gregory Lynn has been in the witness box since 10.30am.
So far, the Supreme Court jury has only heard his responses to questions from the defence barrister, Dermot Dann, KC.
But now they are also hearing questions from prosecutor Daniel Porceddu.
Porceddu began his cross-examination by asking Lynn about his experience with firearms and his physical fitness.
He is now questioning Lynn about a dispute with Hill.
Porceddu: As a result of that dispute you murdered Mr Hill?
Lynn: That’s not true.
Porceddu: As you were murdering Mr Hill, you became aware that Mrs Clay saw this happen?
Lynn: I didn’t murder Mr Hill.
Porceddu: You took aim at Mrs Clay?
Lynn: That’s not true.
Porceddu: You shot at her multiple times.
Lynn: That’s not true.
Porceddu: One of those blasts, in fact, damaged the side mirror?
Lynn: No.
Porceddu: And one of those blasts hit Mrs Clay in the head?
Lynn: That’s untrue. I never shot at Mrs Clay.

12.26pm ‘I am innocent of murder. I haven’t killed anyone’: Lynn
Lynn says he has offered to plead guilty to destroying the evidence, but that he is not guilty of murder or manslaughter.
“I am innocent of murder. I haven’t killed anyone.”
The 12-member jury hears that Lynn has worked for 36 years as a pilot and required a security pass for airside duties which would have been impacted by what happened.
“My offence was improper storage of a firearm, it was related to the death of one person and my understanding was with a conviction with that sort of significance ... that I would not be able to hold [the security card] and my career would be over.”
He says losing his job would have caused his family “severe financial hardship” and would have been devastating.

12.23pm ‘I am very sorry’: Lynn apologises to Clay, Hill families
Gregory Lynn’s barrister, Dermot Dann, KC, is finishing his questioning by taking his client to the crux of the case.
Dann: Did you have any reason to murder Mr Hill?
Lynn: No.
Dann: Did you have any reason to murder Ms Clay?
Lynn: No.
Dann: Do you understand, in not coming forward and doing what you did with the bodies ... that people would regard your actions as despicable?
Lynn: It was despicable. All I can say to the families is that I am very sorry for your suffering.

12.18pm What happened after the hunting discussion: Lynn
Lynn is telling the jury how Russell Hill expressed concern that hunting was occurring too close to their campsites.
The jury had heard earlier from Lynn’s defence lawyer that Hill had approached his car, taking his gun.
Hill, Lynn is now telling the jury, was back in front of his tent by the time he got over to confront him over the shotgun and demand it back.
He took a step forward, knocked down his camp furniture ... discharged the firearm to his right.
He fired once and at that point I bolted for the shadows.
He fired at least a second shot, I don’t know where that went. I assume the same, up in the air.

12.07pm ‘Just nonsense’: The hunting dispute between Lynn and Hill

Gregory Lynn is telling the Supreme Court jury about his discussion with Russell Hill about hunting while they were camping.
Lynn has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, on March 20, 2020, at Bucks Camp in Gippsland’s Wonnangatta Valley.
Lynn says Hill expressed concern that hunting was happening too close to the camp.
The 12-member jury just heard him say this:
“He said that I was hunting too close to camp.
He had used the drone to take pictures of me, he said that I was hunting too close to camp.
It was just nonsense.
Lynn says he stands by the version of events he told police.
Earlier today, he told the jury that taking Hill and Carol Clay’s mobile phones was an effort to “erase” all links to them.
Lynn says he drove the back roads away from the scene to avoid CCTV and threw the phones in a river.

11.52am ‘It was my car, my family still didn’t believe that it was my car’
A 12-member jury is listening to the evidence of Gregory Lynn, the only witness called by the defence after the prosecution closed its case.
Now, the jury is hearing about his car after the deaths of Carol Clay and Russell Hill.
Lynn’s family, he recalls, found it comical that his car looked so similar to the images they had seen of a car related to the case in the media.
Specifically, Lynn is talking about why he removed an awning from the side of his Nissan Patrol after watching a 60 Minutes episode on the missing campers case in November 2021.
The car in the images did look a lot like my car. It was my car. My family still didn’t believe that it was my car.
They thought it was quite comical that it looked so familiar.
Removing the awning made it look less like my car.

 

[Badd0g]

With all the crap the families have been put through with this highly public trial perhaps Dann agreeing on manslaughter with the DPP would have been a better option for all. They have a full admission for him on other charges too. Should have been enough for 15-20 years.

Involuntary manslaughter carries Max 25 years.. Given his post behaviour, I'd say it would be fair to expect the maximum. Plus the destruction of evidence. Hopefully consecutive... 35 years (edited for crappy spelling! lol)

 

[MrsBlueSky]

Were there any questions asked whether GL tried to revive after RH was stabbed with a knife or not?

 

[Zidane98]

Involuntary manslaughter carries Max 25 years.. Given his post behaviour, I'd say it would be fair to expect the maximum. Plus the destruction of evidence. Hopefully consequentive... 35 years

If it's found RH did start the confrontation that will largely mitigate the post offense behaviour.

 

[Thats Ambitious]

If it's found RH did start the confrontation that will largely mitigate the post offense behaviour.

How?!

If RH did start the confrontation, it makes more sense for Lynn to preserve the evidence.

 

[Kurve]

With all the crap the families have been put through with this highly public trial perhaps Dann agreeing on manslaughter with the DPP would have been a better option for all. They have a full admission for him on other charges too. Should have been enough for 15-20 years.

That's it. If manslaughter is on the table, why he didn't agree to plead guilty to that? Unless the prosecution really wants him for murder.

There might be suppressed or other information on him that we can't see.

 

[SJ]

“Expected [the bodies] to be found” but “never expected to be in this courthouse”.

 

[LeChatNoir]

As it happened: What accused killer Gregory Lynn told the jury about missing campers’ deaths

Breaking his silence for the first time, Gregory Lynn revealed to the jury that his family found it “quite comical” how similar his car was to the Nissan Patrol police were searching for in the missing campers case. Follow our live updates.

www.theage.com.au

2.32pm ‘I expected them to be found’: Lynn on missing campers’ bodies

The cross-examination of accused missing campers’ killer Gregory Lynn is resuming.

Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu is asking Lynn, 57, about the destruction of evidence at a remote campsite in Victoria’s High Country after the deaths of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

Lynn denies that it was always his intention to destroy, or “obliterate”, the bodies when he dumped them.

“I expected them to be found. If I wanted to hide the bodies, I would have dragged them off into the bush.”

2.20pm Lynn’s evidence: The scene was ‘horrendous’

In evidence to a Supreme Court jury, accused double killer Gregory Lynn has described the “horrendous” scene of the deaths of missing campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay after a struggle over a shotgun with Hill.

He says the pair died accidentally, while the prosecution claims Lynn acted with murderous intent.

2.16pm How police investigated the case

Gregory Lynn, who is giving evidence in his Supreme Court trial today, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of missing campers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73.

He has told police that he and Hill were struggling over Lynn’s shotgun at Bucks Camp in the Wonnangatta Valley on March 20, 2020, when it accidentally fired and struck Clay, killing her.

Lynn, 57, told police that soon after Clay was shot dead, Hill ran at him with a black-handled kitchen knife and died when he fell on the knife during a struggle.

Lynn was arrested in November 2021.

 

[Kurve]

Burning bodies 'a difficult task'​

1m ago
By Mikaela Ortolan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Questioning has turned to November 2020, when Mr Lynn returned to the Union Spur site to burn the remains of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
Mr Lynn told the court he decided to take this path of action — removing what he called the only remaining evidence — after he told police his route out of the Wonnangatta Valley when they visited him in July 2020.
At the Union Spur site, Mr Lynn said, he carried out the task despite becoming sick several times.
"It was a difficult task," he said.
"I thought once that was over, and the evidence from my now-known route was gone, that I would finally be free of this disaster."

Mr Lynn expected bodies to be found​

12m ago
By Mikaela Ortolan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn's cross-examination has resumed.
Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu took Mr Lynn to his account of moving the bodies of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay to a remote area known as Union Spur after their deaths.
"You did drive to Union Spur and you did hide the bodies, is that so?" the prosecutor asked.
"I didn't hide the bodies. I placed them there. I expected them to be found," the accused man replied.
Mr Lynn told the court he put leaves on the bodies to keep animals away. If he wanted to hide the bodies, he said, he could have moved them further into the scrub.
"They were right next to the track," he said.

via ABC LIVE

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Mr Lynn confirmed that through his training as a pilot, he was able to maintain his composure in stressful situations.
Mr Lynn confirmed that through his training as a pilot, he was able to maintain his composure in stressful situations.
Mr Porceddu then put it to Mr Lynn that he wanted the jury to believe he "unexpectedly panicked" and tried to cover up evidence of the campers' deaths.

"Aren't you trained to be calm and rational?" the prosecutor asked.
"I'm very stressed right now," the accused murderer replied.
"A better result is always achieved without panic."
"I had never been faced with two dead people before."

He didn’t maintain his composure when Hill allegedly confronted him. Why didn’t he face the hostile Hill with calmness and try to defuse the situation? The situation was actually very dangerous and life-threatening and Lynn had the experience to deal with it effectively.

If it's found RH did start the confrontation that will largely mitigate the post offense behaviour.

We only have Lynn’s word for this and his admitted subsequent actions don’t inspire any confidence in his version of events.

Does the jury have to form an opinion about Hiil’s and Clay’s roles in their own deaths? I wouldn’t have thought so.

 

[CredibleSauce]

You would think as a hunter of large animals he would have plenty of rubber gloves and cleanup stuff for carcases.

The hunters I know must be a bit slack on the hygiene factor cause I have never known any of them to take gloves on a hunt, and given they process the meat once they get home I guess don’t find it that necessary. Maybe he’s squeamish? Lol

 

[theouthouse]

Burning bodies 'a difficult task'​

1m ago
By Mikaela Ortolan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Questioning has turned to November 2020, when Mr Lynn returned to the Union Spur site to burn the remains of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.
Mr Lynn told the court he decided to take this path of action — removing what he called the only remaining evidence — after he told police his route out of the Wonnangatta Valley when they visited him in July 2020.
At the Union Spur site, Mr Lynn said, he carried out the task despite becoming sick several times.
"It was a difficult task," he said.
"I thought once that was over, and the evidence from my now-known route was gone, that I would finally be free of this disaster."

Mr Lynn expected bodies to be found​

12m ago
By Mikaela Ortolan
Reporting by Jesse Thompson
Greg Lynn's cross-examination has resumed.
Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu took Mr Lynn to his account of moving the bodies of campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay to a remote area known as Union Spur after their deaths.
"You did drive to Union Spur and you did hide the bodies, is that so?" the prosecutor asked.
"I didn't hide the bodies. I placed them there. I expected them to be found," the accused man replied.
Mr Lynn told the court he put leaves on the bodies to keep animals away. If he wanted to hide the bodies, he said, he could have moved them further into the scrub.
"They were right next to the track," he said.

via ABC LIVE

So he placed the bodies there to be found, but when he thought they were to be found via his track he went back and got rid of them so they couldn't be found?

That's genius.