by The former airline pilot charged with the murder of two campers in Victoria could face trial as early as October.
Greg Lynn, 56, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who disappeared in March 2020 while camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, northeast of Melbourne.
Related: Former pilot Greg Lynn will stand trial for the alleged murders of Victorian campers Russell Hill and Carol Clay
Last month, Lynn pledged to stand trial in Victoria’s supreme court. She faced the court for a pre-trial hearing on Thursday.
Court registrar Tim Freeman said it was possible the court could accommodate a trial of six to eight weeks from early October, with a view to completing the matter before Christmas.
But Lynn’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, estimated that the trial could drag on for six months if the prosecution depends on reproducing the large number of recordings it had covertly made of Lynn during the police investigation.
The prosecutor, John Dickie, said police would only rely on a relatively small number of recordings. Asked by Freeman if he was optimistic that it wouldn’t take six months for trial, he replied, “I’m always optimistic, your honor.”
The remains of Hill and Clay were discovered in brush not far from their camp just days after Lynn was arrested in November 2021. Police allege they were dumped there by Lynn, who returned twice to the crime scene.
He was charged on November 25, 2021 with murdering the campers.
The court heard on Thursday that the prosecution and Lynn wanted the trial to continue in Melbourne, despite the court generally choosing to hold trials as close as possible to where the alleged crime occurred.
Dann said he would make pre-trial requests related to the case, which he said could mean the prosecution had to present a “radically different” case than the one based on the prosecution.
Asked by Freeman if there were any issues regarding the disclosure of the prosecution’s evidence, he pointed to the “great, great, great” number of recordings of Lynn for which no transcripts had been provided.
Dickie said transcripts of any relevant recordings would be provided, regardless of whether they were “inculpatory or exculpatory”.
Freeman said a judge had not yet been assigned to the case.
He ordered Dickie to prepare a series of documents, including an indictment and pleading summary for trial by April 6, and for Dann to respond the following month.
Lynn will return to court on May 11 for a new direction hearing.
