Australia - Russell Hill & Carol Clay Murdered While Camping - Wonnangatta Valley, 2020 #7

[drsleuth]

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

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 Mr 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.″

 

[drsleuth]

Greg Lynn finishes giving evidence after hours-long testimony in missing campers murder trial — as it happened

Greg Lynn has given his testimony in his murder trial in Victoria's Supreme Court. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria's High Country in 2020.

www.abc.net.au

Prosecution lawyers are zeroing in on Mr Lynn's decision to cover up the campers' deaths by moving their bodies and setting fire to their campsite.

"At this stage, you could have reported this matter to police, couldn't you?" Daniel Porceddu asked.

Mr Lynn said he could have.

"You know that by preserving the scene, police would have been able to verify your version of events, don't you?" Mr Porceddu asked.

"I could have followed that pathway," Mr Lynn said.

"And they would have determined on your version … that this was just two accidental deaths. That's right, isn't it?" Mr Porceddu asked.

Mr Lynn replied that he feared he would be blamed for the deaths given the "improper storage of a firearm" had "resulted in the death of one person".

 

[TootsieFootsie]

He is definitely sounding like a different person to the one who gave the interview.

Gone is the woe is me and my status in life being ruined. So far.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Sounds like Lynn is paddling his barbwire canoe as hard as he can but the end result looks inevitable.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

He's most likely been told to try and leave his ego out of it.

 

[drsleuth]

He is definitely sounding like a different person to the one who gave the interview.

Gone is the woe is me and my status in life being ruined. So far.

He's already done that Toots

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

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.

 

[drsleuth]

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

Here is some of what the jury is hearing in courtroom three in Melbourne’s Supreme Court:
Gregory Lynn, 57, is telling the court why he didn’t call police.
“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 would have been able to 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 the lapse in time between the pair vanishing and the police finding him, he had plenty of time to work out a story to tell the police. “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.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Would love to see the reactions on the jury's faces to some of these answers Lynn is providing. I get the feeling, if I was on the jury, I'd be thinking 'how stupid do you think we are?'

 

[JudgeJudi]

Greg Lynn, accused of murdering two campers, will take the stand in Supreme Court trial

The 57-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murders of Carol Clay and Russell Hill and will give evidence on Thursday.

www.abc.net.au

On Wednesday, Mr Dann said his client's actions to cover up the deaths of the pair would mean he would be guilty of another charge, destruction of evidence.

We don't know what other charges there are but interference with a corpse should definitely be one of them.

According to VIC Law for the charge of Interfere with corpse of a human being,

Crimes Act 1958 – SECT 34B
Offence to interfere with corpse of a human being

34B. Offence to interfere with corpse of a human being

(1) A person must not intentionally-

[…]
(b) unlawfully remove body parts from a corpse of a human being-

whether that corpse is in a public cemetery within the meaning of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003 or at any other place.

Penalty: Level 6 (5 years maximum).

Interfere With Corpse of a Human Being - Australian Criminal Lawyers Melbourne

 

[drsleuth]

He's already done that Toots

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

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.

As if the deaths of Carol & Russell are not devastating.

Lynn is a cold & calculating , no remorse, full of self pity.

Lock him up Jury..........

 

[drsleuth]

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

Gregory Lynn is now being asked by prosecutor Daniel Porceddu about a guy rope that was connecting Russell Hill and Carole Clay’s toilet tent to the bullbar of the car where the struggle took place.
Lynn is asked why it didn’t get in the way.

Lynn: “He [Hill] must have lifted it up,” Lynn replies.
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.”

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

 

[TootsieFootsie]

How about the crime of interfering with two dead bodies.
Is that not a crime in Victoria. I thought there was a law against that in all states.

All he and his team talks about is improper storage of a weapon and destruction of evidence.

@JudgeJudi I hadn't seen your post when I posted mine. I keep expecting to see this as a possible charge and was surprised that it wasn't mentioned.

 

[drsleuth]

How about the crime of interfering with two dead bodies.
Is that not a crime in Victoria. I thought there was a law against that in all states.

All he and his team talks about is improper storage of a weapon and desruction of evidence.

BBM : I think of it more as the absolute obliberation of two human beings.

 

[discostu]

“You’re just making this up aren’t you?”

Just the thought of how the prosecutor probably asked this made me lol

I really hope he’s doing a good job driving home to the jury how unlikely Lynn’s story is.. jmo

 

[drsleuth]

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/greg-lynn-trial-expilot-set-to-share-account-of-missing-campers-russell-hill-and-carol-clay-deaths/news-story/f948f55547dcef84d89dc11863769aa2

Prosecutors have accused Mr Lynn of trying to provoke a response from Mr Hill by playing his music loudly at night.

I wasn’t trying to provoke a response, if he was rude I could be rude too,” he responded.

“You were being a pest?,” Mr Porceddu asked.

“Yes,” Mr Lynn replied.

Mr Porceddu accused Mr Lynn of firing several shots at Mrs Clay, later telling police there were shots fired into the air as a “cover” for if others had heard.

His barrister, Dermot Dann KC, interjected, saying it was “improper” for the prosecution to make up a version of events “in desperation”.

Justice Croucher agreed, saying the prosecution was “inventing” an account without evidence.

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Almost impossible to see Lynn not having an extended stay at the pleasure of His Majesty. Just a matter of how many and what things they find him guilty of.

Have to wonder if Dann advised Lynn to take the stand or his own ego drove him there? In any case, it already appears to have backfired.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think of it more as the absolute obliberation of two human beings.

But even if he is found not guilty, surely his team would mention that as one of the things he could be charged with.
So far they haven't mentioned it.

 

[JBowie]

"I could have followed that pathway," Mr Lynn said.

Again with the 'pathway' analogy. This guy is cold and calculating.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think mentioning his precious clubs might be the way for the jury to get to see the real him.

 

[discostu]

Even if we believe his account, it’s pretty concerning to me to consider the lengths that this guy went to in order to avoid taking responsibility for something that lead to the deaths of two innocent people. And that he felt that an offer to plead guilty to destroying evidence would have been totally reasonable. Like, for real, wtf. jmo