EXCLUSIVE
New details about the dark life of former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn have been revealed as he faces life in prison for the brutal murder of an elderly camper.
Lynn, 57, was found guilty in June by the Victorian Supreme Court of murdering elderly camper Carol Clay but not guilty of killing her secret lover Russell Hill.
But the pilot’s twisted love life – including a secret son in Adelaide – was laid bare in court this week as Judge Michael Croucher prepared to sentence the killer.
Lynn’s second wife, flight attendant Melanie Lynn, was noticeably absent from this week’s hearing after appearing in court every day of her husband’s murder trial.
The court heard that following Lynn’s guilty verdict, his wife now faces the possibility of losing the home she shares with Lynn’s adult children from her first marriage.
Her mother, Lisa Lynn, committed suicide in 1999, and the court had previously heard that Lynn’s mother-in-law blamed him for causing her daughter’s tragic death.
On Wednesday, new details about Lynn’s life were released in court by his own attorney, Dermot Dann, KC, before the prosecution asked for Lynn to be jailed for life.
The court heard that Lynn quickly got over the suicide of his first wife, who had been in a bitter custody battle with Lynn at the time of her death.
Greg Lynn is led into Victoria’s Supreme Court in handcuffs on Wednesday. He faces life in prison for the murder of Carol Clay
Greg Lynn’s first wife, Lisa Lynn, was found dead on the front lawn of the property she once shared with the now-convicted killer.
Mr Dann suggested that Lynn immediately connected with a mystery woman while arguing with his ex-wife over children and family assets.
“The relationship became difficult and Mr Lynn moved out of the family home and began a relationship,” she told the court.
The court heard that Lynn managed to snatch the children away from his estranged wife’s family and was given full custody of them as well as keeping the family home.
With his ex-wife out of the picture, Lynn was free to continue the relationship with his mysterious lover, whose name was not revealed in court.
“He then moved in with the woman he was in a new relationship with and the two children to a property in Mount Macedon, and they later moved to Adelaide,” Dann said.
The court heard that Lynn’s new lover gave birth to a daughter on February 8, 2001, just over a year after the death of his first wife.
“That relationship eventually broke down and he returned to Melbourne with his children,” Dann said.
Lynn moved with her children to Qatar in the Middle East, where she quickly recovered from her last broken relationship to re-couple with a flight attendant and second wife, Melanie.
The court heard Lynn walked down the aisle with her in 2004 and the couple had a son together in 2007.
They returned to Australia shortly afterwards and settled in Caroline Springs, west of Melbourne, where she still lives today, although possibly not for much longer.
The court heard that police are keen to see the seized property as part of the proceeds of crime.
Lynn had been living in the home when she murdered Ms. Clay in March 2020 and at the time of her arrest more than a year later.
Melanie Lynn had a son with Greg Lynn in 2007, after he joined Qatar Airways.
Greg Lynn’s beloved Nissan Patrol pictured outside the Caroline Springs property he was living on at the time of the murder. His car went from white (pictured) to grey and then brown over the years
Geordie, Melanie and Elliott Lynn leave the Supreme Court of Victoria in May
The court also heard new details about Lynn’s relationship with his first wife, Lisa.
In revelations that were not shared with the jury, Judge Croucher had previously been told that Lisa’s mother blamed Lynn for her daughter’s suicide.
“As well as receiving no support from Greg, he subjected her to physical and mental abuse on a regular basis,” Lisa’s mother said in a statement to the coroner at the time.
‘These events happened too often to remember… things like losing control for no reason and blaming Lisa for anything that went wrong.
‘Then he would 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 also told the court that a jealous Lynn verbally attacked a man at a bar after he spoke 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.
On Wednesday this week, Mr Dann told the court that Lynn met Lisa when he was just 18 and she was “about 21”.
She had been a signals operator for the Royal Australian Air Force based at Laverton Air Force Base in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Melanie Lynn was Greg Lynn’s second wife and the third woman to have a child with him.
Lisa Lynn was just 20 years old when she began what became a toxic relationship with Greg Lynn.
Greg Lynn outside the Caroline Springs home he shared with Melanie
Lynn moved with Lisa to off-base housing, where the couple became actively involved with the Pentecostal Church.
Their jobs then took them to Bankstown in New South Wales, where Lisa worked as a data entry technician for Flight Services Australia.
The couple moved to Tasmania and bought a house together, before Lynn commuted between Launceston and Bankstown in Sydney in the early 1990s, until the couple moved to Victoria, where Lisa took a job as a flight attendant for Qantas.
They bought a house in Mount Macedon, 64 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, and Lisa gave birth to their first child in 1997.
Their second child arrived the following year, but The relationship fell apart soon after and Lynn was kicked out of the family home.
Daily Mail Australia is unable to report the full extent of what happened next due to a legal gag order issued by a lower court magistrate ahead of the trial.
“On October 26 (1999, Lisa) was found dead on the front lawn of the Mount Macedon property and we know from the evidence … that she had died after consuming a quantity of drugs and alcohol,” Dann said.
Lynn was convicted of the murder of Carol Clay (left), but acquitted of the murder of her lover Russell Hill.
The shotgun Greg Lynn used to shoot Carol Clay in the head.
The shattered remains of Carol Clay were found in this hole. Only a fragment of Russell Hill was identified.
Mr Dann claimed Lynn received criticism from Lisa’s family following her tragic death.
“Since then there has been a prolonged conflict with members of his family in terms of procedures… regarding the custody of the two children,” he said.
‘Mr Lynn was successful in those proceedings, so he became a single father and was the sole parent raising the children.’
Lynn will return to court next month, where he will finally be sentenced for Ms. Clay’s murder.
However, her imprisonment could be short-lived amid concerns from her legal team that the jury made an error in the way it applied the law in reaching its verdict of guilty of Ms. Clay, but not Mr. Hill.
Mr Dann told Judge Croucher his client maintained his innocence and intended to appeal his conviction as soon as possible.
The veteran lawyer described the jury’s process of finding him guilty as a “forbidden path” that had gone against Judge Croucher’s own instructions to 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.
