The long-suffering family of late camper Russell Hill have been banned from facing former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn in court.
In a tragic final snub, Mr Hill’s wife Robyn and three daughters were forced to sit silently in Victoria’s Supreme Court after being denied the opportunity to provide victim impact statements.
Lynn was found not guilty of Mr. Hill’s murder, but guilty of murdering his secret lover Carol Clay.
On Thursday, Ms Clay’s sister Jillian, her daughter Emma Davies and her best friend Allison Abbott were the only people to read victim impact statements aloud.
Lynn is understood to have fought to exclude the Hill family from providing impact statements despite arguments that they remained victims despite the not guilty verdict.
Lynn had claimed during his trial that Mr Hill died when he fell on a knife as the two struggled over the weapon.
Lynn spent much of the hearing with her head down reading until it was time to hear victim impact statements, which she appeared to listen to intently.
He faces life in prison when Judge Michael Croucher delivers his verdict on a date yet to be set.
Former pilot Greg Lynn enters Victoria Supreme Court in chains on Thursday
Lynn was convicted of the murder of Carol Clay (left) but not of Russell Hill (right). They were camping in the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps when they came across Lynn.
Opening the pre-sentence hearing, Crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu described Ms Clay’s murder as “cold-blooded and cruel”.
“Mrs. Clay suffered a very violent death,” he said.
The court heard the elderly camper stood no chance against Lynn, who shot her in the head in an attempt to cover up what the prosecution had alleged was Mr Hill’s murder.
Lynn’s wife, who was photographed last month still wearing her wedding ring, was noticeably absent from Thursday’s hearing.
She had attended the trial every day until the guilty verdict in June.
Sitting inside the body of the courtroom, the Hill family was seen sobbing as victim impact statements were read from Ms Clay’s loved ones.
Ms Clay’s daughter Emma Davies was the first to give evidence, refusing to use Lynn’s name during her heartbreaking speech.
Ms Davies said she would not allow her mother’s legacy to be that of a murder victim.
The court heard Mrs Clay was renowned for her wizardry in the kitchen, whipping up biscuits, Christmas cakes and puddings by the dozen.
With a love of all things tennis and a Christmas song from beloved Melbourne resident Denis Walter, Ms Clay was described as the glue that held her family together.
Ms Davies compared what happened to her mother at the hands of Lynn to a “horror movie”.
Melanie Lynn goes out to collect trash with a self-help book
Melanie Lynn and her stepson Geordie arrive in court for closing arguments in the trial on June 12.
“I won’t say the name of the man who murdered my mother, I’ll just say he or she,” Ms Davies said.
“He stole my mother from me, he stole my children’s grandmother from me. He took my mother’s life, he took her dignity and he took her privacy.”
Ms Davies fought back tears as she described how Lynn cruelly shot her mother in the head and burned her body beyond recognition.
She called his behavior “depraved” and condemned him for the lives he destroyed and the lives of those who suffered the consequences of his actions.
Ms Clay’s sister was equally harsh on the convicted killer, describing Lynn’s actions after the murder as nothing short of evil.
“It wasn’t just a bad decision; it was evil,” he told Lynn.
The court heard that prosecutors wanted Lynn to be sentenced to life in prison.
Russell Hill camp burned down after Lynn shot and killed Carol Clay
Lynn paints over her ‘killer car’ outside her Caroline Springs home after murdering Carol Clay
Greg Lynn during his interview with police after his arrest
It was a submission strongly opposed by Lynn’s attorney, Dermot Dann, KC.
Mr Dann told Judge Croucher his client maintained his innocence and intended to appeal his conviction as soon as possible.
The court heard that Mr Dann believed the jury had made a mistake in reaching a guilty verdict on Ms Clay.
The experienced lawyer described the process they followed to reach that conclusion as a “forbidden path” that went against the instructions that Judge Croucher himself had given them towards the end of the trial.
Mr Dann said the jury had been instructed that Lynn’s only motive for killing Ms Clay would have been to cover up the murder of Mr Hill, of which he was found not guilty.
“The prosecution says the jury followed that forbidden path to reach that verdict,” he said.
The pre-sentencing hearing continues.
Lisa Lynn had been living in fear of Greg Lynn at the time of his suicide.
Lisa Lynn was found dead in October 1999 after consuming a lethal cocktail of alcohol and sleeping pills.
Detectives are now seeking a second inquest by the Victorian coroner into the mother-of-two’s tragic death.
Lisa was found curled up in a fetal position outside the family home, while the couple’s two children, aged one and three, were sleeping inside.
Victorian coroner Graeme Johnstone said Lisa was believed to have been deeply depressed at the time of her death.
However, the coroner was left with questions about whether she had intended to commit suicide or not.
Lisa’s mother, who was due to travel from Tasmania to help her struggling daughter, gave a disturbing statement to the coroner about Greg Lynn, including allegations of animal cruelty, violence and “bizarre” behaviour.
“In addition to her not receiving any support from Greg, he subjected her to physical and mental abuse on a regular basis,” she told the coroner.
‘These events happened too often to remember, specifically things like losing his temper for no reason and blaming Lisa for anything that went wrong.
“He would then yell at her, throw things at her and push her. I felt very uncomfortable when these events occurred because I was not willing to interfere and Lisa begged me not to interfere.”
Lisa’s mother told the court that Lynn verbally attacked a man at the bar after he made the mistake of speaking to Lisa.
He then became furious with his then-wife after leaving the hotel, she told the coroner.
“The only thing I would like to add is that as far as I am concerned, Greg is responsible for my daughter’s death because of the mental torture he inflicted on her,” Lisa’s mother told the court.