Friday, November 8, 2024

Jury in former Jetstar pilot’s missing campers murder trial write a note to the judge with two requests

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The jury in the Greg Lynn murder trial has returned to court to ask two questions that could help them reach a unanimous verdict. 

The former Jetstar pilot has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court of Victoria to the murders of secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine region, on March 20, 2020.

On Tuesday, Justice Michael Croucher was advised the jury wanted to see video recordings of both Lynn and ballistics expert Senior Constable Paul Griffiths giving their evidence in court. 

Greg Lynn is appearing at the Supreme Court of Victoria 

Secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, died in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria's Alpine region, in March 2020.

Secret lovers Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, died in the Wonnangatta Valley, in Victoria’s Alpine region, in March 2020. 

The pair both gave about four-and-a-half hours of evidence during the trial, which was recorded via cameras placed within the courtroom. 

The jury retired to consider its verdict on Monday afternoon and has now sat a full day-and-a-half deliberating. 

The jury went home at about 4pm on Tuesday and will not receive an answer to the request until sometime on Wednesday.  

Senior Constable Griffiths has previously told the jury he found the 12-gauge slug on March 2, 2022 allegedly used to kill Ms Clay at the location where her burnt campsite was found

The mangled slug was further found to contain fibres and ‘biological material’ believed to have been that of Ms Clay. 

The jury has previously heard claims the slug that killed Ms Clay blew off the passenger side mirror of Mr Hill’s Landcruiser before striking Ms Clay in the head. 

‘Given that quite some time had passed we had to use a sieving technique. So we went down close to an inch in that area,’ he said. 

Using a metal detector, the detective located glass fragments and the slug, he told the court. 

‘It was a fired projectile with a significant amount of impact damage,’ Senior Constable Griffiths said. 

Another search a week later turned up more alleged evidence, including bone fragments. 

The shotgun police say Greg Lynn used to murder elderly camper Carol Clay 

Greg Lynn's shotgun was equipped with a laser sight

Greg Lynn’s shotgun was equipped with a laser sight 

Police believe the side mirror of Russell Hill's car was shot off (pictured)

Police believe the side mirror of Russell Hill’s car was shot off (pictured) 

Senior Constable Griffiths said he was directed back into the bush in March 2022 in the hope of finding evidence that may have been missed earlier. 

‘The purpose was to search for other items and, from memory, find cartridge cases … and other bone fragments,’ he told the jury. 

His evidence was savaged by Lynn’s barrister Dermott Dann, KC. 

Under cross examination, Senior Constable Griffiths came under fire for failing to check Lynn’s story before performing trajectory tests. 

The jury heard the detective had not used Lynn’s shotgun to perform the tests, despite previously telling a preliminary hearing he had. 

‘This is just a botched exercise isn’t it,’ Mr Dann said.

‘It’s completely accurate,’ came the response. 

Lynn himself spent much of a day in the witness box giving his version of events. 

While Lynn has always denied murdering the couple, the jury heard he freely admitted to cleaning up the alleged crime scene and destroying the evidence.

‘It was despicable,’ Lynn conceded.

‘All I can say to the families is that I am very sorry for all of your suffering that I’ve caused … yes I should be punished for it. For what I did.’

The jury heard Lynn had offered to plead guilty to the destruction of evidence before going on trial, but it had been rejected by the prosecution.

‘I am innocent of murder,’ he said. ‘I am innocent (of manslaughter too). I haven’t killed anyone.’

Dressed neatly in a suit and dark-rimmed spectacles, the former pilot spoke in a cool and calm manner as he took the jury through the bloody details of what police allege was cold blooded murder.

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