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The family of murdered camper Carol Clay have described her killer’s attempts to cover up her death and move on with his life as “wicked, evil and unconscionable”.
Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, 57, was back in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday for a pre-sentence hearing after being found guilty of murdering the 73-year-old community stalwart.
The 57-year-old was acquitted of a separate charge of murdering Clay’s boyfriend, Russell Hill, 74.
Lynn continues to maintain her innocence and has said she intends to appeal the verdict.
Greg Lynn claims the couple died accidentally
The prosecution is asking for life imprisonment
Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu asked Judge Michael Croucher to impose a life sentence for the “cold-blooded and cruel” murder.
He told the court the prosecution contends Ms Clay was “violently” shot in the head on the night of March 20, 2020 to “cover up” what happened to Mr Hill.
He said it was consistent with the jury’s verdict that there was an “interaction of some kind” between Lynn and Mr Hill that led to his death.
“What motivated him was the desire to eliminate her as a witness,” Porceddu said.
‘The offender went to extraordinary lengths to cover up the murder of Carol Clay… this is an example of a crime so serious that it deserves the maximum penalty.’
The damaged campsite was found days after the couple went missing.
What happened to the missing couple?
Mr Hill and Mrs Clay, teenage sweethearts who had resumed their relationship later in life, disappeared a day after arriving at Bucks Camp in the Wonnangatta Valley.
It took police 20 months to locate more than 2,100 bone fragments relating to the couple under a fallen tree on the Union Spur track.
At trial, prosecutors alleged that both were killed by Lynn, who then took steps to conceal his involvement, including burning down their camp and hiding their bodies.
They were unable to outline the specific circumstances of the deaths, other than that Ms Clay was shot in the head, but argued it likely followed a dispute between Lynn and Mr Hill.
The jury was told that skull fragments belonging to Carol Clay were discovered at the camp.
Taking the stand, Lynn presented a version of events in which he was innocent of the murder but said he deserved to be punished for the efforts he made to “disappear.”
After his arrest, Lynn told police that Ms. Clay was accidentally killed when his shotgun went off as he and Mr. Hill struggled to control the situation.
Mr Hill then fell on his own knife as he attacked Lynn in a fit of rage, Lynn said.
Lynn said she panicked and tried to cover up her involvement, returning to the spot where she had dumped the remains to incinerate them months later.
“My plan was to disappear and for a long time I thought I had achieved that,” he said.
A hand-drawn map by Lynn detailing where she burned the remains of Mr. Hill and Mrs. Clay
But police first identified Lynn as a person of interest three months after the couple went missing when their car was photographed by an automatic license plate recognition camera near where Hill’s phone last contacted a tower.
Mr Porceddu argued that Lynn’s account was “complete fiction” and that he had destroyed evidence he knew could refute her story.
His lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, said Lynn feared he was being wrongly blamed for the deaths and was “100 per cent correct”.
The defense says the verdict will be appealed.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Dann stood up and told the court that his client acknowledged that Ms Clay’s death had a “devastating impact”.
He said Lynn accepted he had acted despicably in his treatment of their bodies but maintained he was innocent of murder.
Mr Dann told the court he was concerned the jury had taken an “inappropriate route” in reaching the verdict and would take it to the Court of Appeal.
“The reason for eliminating her as a witness must be rejected outright because it goes against the instructions given to the jury,” he argued.
Lynn’s Nissan Patrol and trailer were captured on an automatic number plate recognition camera travelling along Great Alpine Rd at 9.48am on 21 March 2020.
Mr Dann told the court that Lynn accepts he had acted “despicably” by hiding and burning her remains, but maintains his innocence of murder.
“He acknowledges once again that his conduct in the treatment of the bodies was selfish and insensitive in the extreme,” he said.
At trial, Lynn presented a version of events that claimed they both died in tragic accidental deaths after Mr Hill stole their shotgun.
Mr Dann said there was a very limited factual basis for Judge Croucher to pass sentence, and acknowledged the process would be difficult.
He told the court his client had lived a prosocial life before the fateful camping trip, regularly contributing to charity and achieving success in his racing career.
Family details impact of Ms. Clay’s murder
In an emotional statement, Ms Clay’s sister, Jillian Waker, said her older sister had dedicated her life to family and community service.
“I am deeply affected by his actions,” she said.
‘Carol lived a great life and, as a life force, is irreplaceable.’
Ms Walker said Ms Clay’s murder was “horrible” but she was deeply shocked by Lynn’s treatment of her body, describing it as “perverse, evil and unconscionable”.
“A normal person doesn’t do this,” she said through tears.
‘Carol lived a great life and, as a life force, is irreplaceable.’
Lynn’s son Geordie and his wife Melani were present at the trial.
Ms Clay’s daughter, Emma Davies, detailed her mother’s achievements in community organisation and volunteer work, saying she “refused to have her legacy be that of a murder victim”.
“His life had been dedicated to others,” he said.
“He took away her life, her dignity and her privacy.”
Ms Davies told the court her family had suffered enormously over the past four years and described receiving messages on social media from people posing as her mother.
Ms Davies described what happened to her mother as a “horror movie” and said Lynn had destroyed her remains in an effort to simply get on with her life.
“She was missing for 20 months, but that wasn’t the case, was it? One person knew exactly where she was and what had happened,” he said.
Emma Davies described her mother’s death as a “horror movie”
Ms Clay’s lifelong friend Allison Abbott told the court she was a beautiful, vibrant and funny woman with a “wicked sense of humour”.
“She was a wonderful woman who contributed to the happiness of many,” he said.
“No one deserves to die like Carol.”
Lynn is due back in court on October 18 for sentencing.