Lawyers for a man accused of murdering two campers want details of “explosive” interviews he gave to police suppressed.
Greg Lynn, a former airline pilot, is charged with murdering Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who went missing in March 2020 while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, north-east of Melbourne.
Lynn, 56, faced the Melbourne magistrates court this week for a committal hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.
At a hearing on Friday, Lynn’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, argued for an order which would suppress the contents of all interviews given by Lynn to police.
The order was not opposed by the prosecution, but lawyers for multiple media outlets argued against it.
Dann said it was likely the media would view the contents of the interviews as “explosive”, but reporting on their contents could prejudice future proceedings against Lynn.
Dann told the court earlier this week that a legal challenge to the admissibility of the police interviews was likely.
Detective Sen Con Abbey Justin, who, along with her colleague, was the first police member to speak with Lynn about the campers, gave evidence she recorded Lynn without his knowledge in July 2020.
Justin said that she also did not caution Lynn before the hour-long conversation, as at that stage he was simply a witness she was speaking to as his car had been seen in the area at the time Hill and Clay disappeared.
He was the final driver of 12 captured on cameras in the area yet to be cleared by police at the time of the visit to his Caroline Springs home, she said.
Lynn provided his first statement to police after that conversation, Dann told the court.
Lynn was charged with the murder of the couple in November 2021, and their remains were found soon after.
Magistrate Brett Sonnet will rule on the suppression order application on Monday.
Monday’s hearing is also expected to hear evidence from three witnesses, including the police informant in the case.
