Greg Lynn: High Country killer returns to court for pre-sentence hearing over Carol Clay murder

The family of murdered camper Carol Clay have described her killer’s attempts to cover up the death and go on with his life as “wicked, evil and unconscionable”.

On Thursday, former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn, 57, returned before the Victorian Supreme Court for a presentence hearing after being found guilty of murdering the 73-year-old community stalwart.

The 57-year-old was acquitted on a separate allegation he murdered Ms Clay’s boyfriend Russell Hill, 74.

Lynn continues to maintain his innocence and has flagged he intends to appeal the verdict.

Prosecution calls for life sentence

Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu called on Justice Michael Croucher to impose a life sentence for the “cold-blooded and callous” murder.

He told the court it was the prosecution’s case that Ms Clay was “violently” shot in the head on the evening 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 description” between Lynn and Mr Hill, leading to his death.

“He was motivated by a desire to eliminate her as a witness,” Mr Porceddu said.

“The offender went to extraordinary lengths to cover up the murder of Carol Clay … this is an instance of an offence that is so grave it warrants the maximum penalty.”

What happened to missing couple

Mr Hill and Ms Clay, teenage sweethearts who had rekindled 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 2100 bone fragments linked to the pair under a fallen tree of the Union Spur track.

At trial, prosecutors alleged both were murdered by Lynn, who then took steps to hide his involvement, including burning their campsite 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 was likely after a dispute between Lynn and Mr Hill.

Taking the stand, Lynn put forward a version of events in which he was innocent of murder but said he deserved to be punished for the efforts he took to “disappear”.

After his arrest, Lynn told police that Ms Clay was accidentally killed when his shotgun discharged as he and Mr Hill struggled for control.

Mr Hill then fell on his own knife while attacking Lynn in a rage, Lynn said.

Lynn said he panicked and sought to hide his involvement, returning to where he’d dumped their remains to incinerate them months later.

“My plan was to disappear and for a long time I thought I had,” he said.

But police first identified Lynn as a person of interest three months after the couple vanished when his car was snapped on an automatic number plate recognition camera near where Mr Hill’s phone last pinged a tower.

Mr Porceddu argued Lynn’s account was “complete fiction” and he had destroyed evidence he knew could disprove his account.

His barrister, Dermot Dann KC, said Lynn feared he would be wrongly blamed for the deaths and was “100 per cent correct”.

Defence say verdict will be appealed

Rising to his feet on Thursday afternoon, Mr Dann told the court that his client recognised that Ms Clay’s death had a “devastating impact”.

He said Lynn accepted that he acted despicably with his treatment of their bodies but maintained he was innocent of murder.

Mr Dann told the court that he had concerns the jury had gone down an “improper pathway” in reaching the verdict and would take it to the Court of Appeal.

“The motive to eliminate her as a witness has to be rejected out of hand as it goes against the direction to the jury,” he argued.

Mr Dann told the court Lynn accepts he had acted “despicably” by hiding and burning their remains, but maintains his innocence of murder.

“He again recognises his conduct in the treatment of bodies was selfish and callous in the extreme,” he said.

At trial, Lynn put forward a version of events where both died tragic accidental deaths set in motion after Mr Hill swiped his shotgun.

Mr Dann said there was a very limited factual basis for Justice Croucher to sentence on, acknowledging the sentencing exercise will 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 pilot career.

Family detail impact of Ms Clay’s murder

In an emotional statement, Ms Clay’s sister Jillian Waker said her elder sister had dedicated her life to family and community service.

“I am extremely affected by his actions,” she said.

“Carol lived a big life, and as a life force she is irreplaceable.”

Ms Walker said Ms Clay’s murder was “horrific” but Lynn’s treatment of her body shocked her to her core, describing it as “wicked, evil and unconscionable”.

“A normal person does not do this,” she said through tears.

“Carol lived a big life, and as a life force she is irreplaceable.”

Ms Clay’s daughter Emma Davies detailed her mum’s achievements in community organising and volunteer work, saying she “refused to have her legacy be that of a murder victim”.

“Her life had been devoted to others,” she said.

“He took her life, her dignity and her privacy.”

Ms Davies told the court that her family had suffered immensely over the past four years, describing how she would receive messages on social media of people pretending to be her mum.

Ms Davies described what happened to her mother as a “horror movie”, saying Lynn had destroyed her remains in an effort to simply continue on with his life.

“For 20 months she was missing; but she wasn’t, was she? One person knew exactly where she was and what happened,” she said.

Allison Abbott, a lifelong friend of Ms Clay, told the court that 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,” she said.

“No one deserves to die the way Carol did.”

Lynn will return to court on October 18 for sentence.