Accused camper killer Greg Lynn’s wife and son support him in court as he pushes to be released from jail
Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn is seeking to be released back into the community as he prepares for a retrial over the alleged murder of Carol Clay.
Lynn, 59, was accused of murdering campers Ms Clay and Russell Hill in Victoria’s High Country in March 2020.
In November 2024, he was sentenced to 32 years in jail after being found guilty of Ms Clay’s murder, but acquitted of the murder of Mr Hill.
But in December last year, three Court of Appeal judges overturned his murder conviction for Ms Clay due to ‘a number of serious irregularities in the course of the trial’ that gave rise to a miscarriage of justice, clearing the way for a retrial over Ms Clay’s death.
Lynn fronted the court on Thursday seeking release into the community before his retrial over Ms Clay’s alleged murder.
Supreme Court judge David Beach said the Supreme Court could accommodate his trial as early as July this year.
‘The court contemplates the trial will occur this year, not next year,’ he said, adding that a judge, not him, is ready to hear it from July 13.
Criminal barrister Dermot Dann KC represented Lynn, who was also supported at court by his son and wife, Melanie.
Former Jetstar pilot Greg Lynn has made an application for bail after he was charged with murdering a retiree in Victoria’s High Country
Lynn was supported by his wife and son in court
Lynn is accused of murdering Carol Clay (above)
Dann KC submitted Lynn had been assaulted while spending an extended period in custody awaiting trial and argued Lynn should be bailed for ‘exceptional circumstances.
The court heard Lynn has spent two years and three months on remand, which Dann KC said ‘has to be factored into delay’.
‘He is presumed innocent and has the right to liberty,’ Dann KC said.
The court heard Lynn will live in ‘stable accommodation’ with his son Geordie if released.
‘He’s got a tight family unit … he’s got a role to play in that family unit,’ Mr Dann said.
Dann said Lynn’s son had offered his life savings and property equity as security for his father’s release.
The court heard Lynn and his wife would be celebrating 22 years of marriage on Saturday.
He also said his client was vulnerable in custody and was placed in an isolation unit for a time while in jail.
Criminal barrister Dermot Dann KC (above) represented Lynn
Dann KC also submitted ‘sensational, explosive’ media coverage about Lynn’s matter meant a fair retrial could not be held this or next year.
‘He cannot possibly be thought to have a fair trial in the near future,’ Dann KC said.
‘It cannot be just to just have him sitting in jail and waiting for the damage to unravel somehow, only with the passage of time.’
In response, the prosecution argued the ‘high bar of exceptional circumstances’ had not been met, and the ‘bare bones facts’ of the allegation were serious enough to deny bail.
‘It was his shotgun, he was present, and there was post-offence conduct which we submit was extreme,’ Prosecutor Mark Gibson KC said.
Supreme Court justice David Beach said a retrial would require a restriction on media reporting if it can be held in August without any further delays.
‘I’d want clear air for six months before any trial,’ Justice Beach said.
Gibson KC argued potential re-trial jurors can be instructed that if they feel they cannot make an impartial assessment of Lynn’s case, they should be excused.
‘You have this safety mechanism in place where confidence can be assured that the media reporting thus far, putting aside the six or seven months of clear air [before a potential retrial], will not result in an unfair trial to the accused man,’ Gibson KC said.
Justice Beach indicated he would not be making a decision on the bail application on Thursday, instead taking a week to consider the matter, with Lynn to remain in custody.
