Greg Lynn, the man accused of murdering two campers in Victoria’s High Country in 2020, will take the stand and give evidence in his Supreme Court trial, his lawyer says.
Mr Lynn’s barrister Dermot Dann KC made the announcement at the end of the trial’s 17th day, as prosecutors closed their case after evidence from more than 35 witnesses.
Mr Dann told the jury Mr Lynn, 57, would give evidence tomorrow.
“The defence call one witness. That will be Mr Lynn,” Mr Dann said.
Mr Lynn has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murders of Carol Clay and Russell Hill, and argues he should also be found not guilty of an alternate charge of manslaughter.
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.
Greg Lynn repainted car following deaths of campers
Previously, the court heard Mr Lynn changed the appearance of the four-wheel-drive used to transport the bodies of two dead campers, after his wife remarked that a vehicle in a television news story “really looks like your car”.
Mr Lynn has pleaded not guilty to the alleged double murder of Carol Clay and Russell Hill, but admits carrying out a lengthy cover-up of their deaths.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard Mr Lynn and his wife Melanie watched a 60 Minutes program that featured a story about the campers’ disappearance from Victoria’s High Country about 20 months earlier.
The story revealed traffic cameras had snapped a mystery mid-90s Nissan Patrol leaving the area where the campers were last seen alive.
“Central to this case are these roadside cameras situation on one of three roads out of Wonnangatta,” the reporter said in the story.
“By analysing footage captured, here police have managed to account for every vehicle that left the valley that weekend, except for this one.”
“Tonight, police can reveal that this car and trailer are now the strongest lead in their hunt for clues.”
A drawing of the suspect vehicle in the story was dark-coloured. It was Mr Lynn’s, although by that stage he had repainted it to beige.
The court heard secret police listening devices in Mr Lynn’s home captured him and his wife watching a replay of the story on November 13, 2021, about a week after it first aired.
Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu said Ms Lynn told her husband the car and trailer shown in the story “really looks like” his.
Earlier in the trial, the prosecutor said Mr Lynn told his wife there were only four hours in the day when he was in the area where the campers went missing “and how it was not funny”.
On November 19, 2021, cameras captured Mr Lynn walking away from his home with a large black awning that he had removed from his vehicle, in a bid to change its appearance.
He was arrested by police three days later.
Lynn told police he did not tell his wife about deaths
Ms Lynn, seated in the public gallery, appeared emotional and was comforted by her son as the evidence of the 60 Minutes story and the secret recording was presented to the court.
After his arrest, Mr Lynn told police he did not tell his wife of his involvement in the deaths of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay on March 20, 2020.
Mr Lynn said both deaths were accidental and occurred during two separate campsite struggles with Mr Hill over a shotgun and a knife.
In Mr Lynn’s account, Ms Clay was accidentally shot when the firearm discharged. Mr Hill then suffered a fatal stab wound when he fell on the knife he was carrying, Mr Lynn said.
The former Jetstar pilot then destroyed evidence at the campsite, placed the retirees’ bodies in his trailer and dumped them in remote bushland several hours away.
Mr Lynn said he did not come forward to police because he feared his life would be “screwed”, and his arrest would jeopardise his family, career and sporting club memberships.
Mr Lynn has pleaded not guilty, with his trial now midway through its fourth week.
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