The family of Russell Hill, who died in a confrontation with Greg Lynn, will not get a chance to answer to the former Jetstar pilot in court.
In a tragic final rejection, Hill’s wife Robyn and three daughters were forced to sit silent at Thursday’s sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria after they were denied the chance to make victim impact statements.
Lynn was found not guilty of the murder of Mr. Hill, but was found guilty of the murder of his secret lover Carol Clay during their camping trip in a remote wooded area.
On Thursday, Clay’s sister Jillian, her daughter Emma Davies and her best friend Allison Abbott were the only ones reading victim impact statements.
Lynn is said to have fought to ban the Hill family from making statements about their impact, despite arguing that they were still victims of a crime despite the acquittal.
Lynn claimed at his trial that Hill died when he fell on a knife as the two struggled over the weapon.
Lynn sat with his head bowed for much of the hearing, reading until it was time to listen to the victim impact statements. He seemed to be listening intently.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when Judge Michael Croucher delivers his verdict on a date yet to be determined.
Former pilot Greg Lynn enters Victorian Supreme Court in chains on Thursday
Lynn was convicted of the murder of Carol Clay (left), but not Russell Hill (right). They were camping in the Wonnangatta Valley in the Victorian Alps when they came across Lynn
At the opening of the pre-sentence hearing, prosecutor Daniel Porceddu described Ms Clay’s murder as “cold-blooded and callous”.
“Mrs. Clay died a very violent death,” he said.
The court ruled that the elderly camper did not stand a chance against Lynn, who shot her in the head in an attempt to cover up Mr Hill’s death.
Lynn’s wife, who was pictured last month wearing her wedding ring, was noticeably absent from Thursday’s hearing.
She attended every day of the trial, until his guilty verdict in June.
The Hill family sat in the courtroom sobbing as victim impact statements from Mrs. Clay’s loved ones were read.
Clay’s daughter, Emma Davies, was the first to give her statement, refusing to mention Lynn’s name during her heartbreaking speech.
Mrs Davies said she would not allow her mother to be the victim of murder.
The court heard that Mrs Clay was known for her magic in the kitchen, baking dozens of varieties of biscuits, Christmas cakes and puddings.
With her love of tennis and her Christmas song of beloved Melbourne star Denis Walter, Clay was described as the glue that held her family together.
Mrs Davies compared what happened to her mother at the hands of Lynn to a ‘horror film’.
Melanie Lynn Goes on a Garbage Pickup Tour with a Self-Help Book
Melanie Lynn and her stepson Geordie arrive at court for closing arguments in the trial on June 12
“I will not name the man who murdered my mother, I will just name him or him,” Davies said.
“He stole my mother from me, he stole my children’s grandmother. He took (my mother’s) life, he took her dignity, he took her privacy.”
Mrs Davies fought back tears as she described how Lynn brutally shot her mother in the head and burned her body beyond recognition.
She described his behaviour as “depraved” and condemned him for the life he destroyed and the lives of those who suffered the consequences of his actions.
Clay’s sister, Jjillian, was equally scathing about the convicted killer, describing Lynn’s actions after the murder as downright evil.
“It wasn’t just a bad decision, it was an evil decision,” she told Lynn.
The court heard that prosecutors were seeking Lynn to be sentenced to life in prison.
The burned-out Russell Hill campsite after Lynn shot Carol Clay
Lynn paints over his ‘murder van’ outside his Caroline Springs home after killing Carol Clay
Greg Lynn during his police report of interrogation after his arrest
It was a request that was vigorously rejected by Lynn’s lawyer Dermot Dann, KC.
Mr Dann told Judge Croucher that his client maintained his innocence and intended to appeal his conviction as soon as possible.
The court heard that Mr Dann believed the jury had erred in finding Ms Clay guilty.
The veteran attorney described the process of reaching that conclusion as a “forbidden path” that went against the instructions Judge Croucher had given them at the end of the trial.
Mr Dann said the jury understood that Lynn’s only motive for killing Ms Clay was to cover up the murder of Mr Hill, and they found him not guilty of that.
“The Public Prosecution Service argues that the jury took that forbidden path to reach this verdict,” he said.
The pre-trial hearing continues.