Suppression order lifting on Lynn’s abuse of former wife
The mother of Greg Lynn’s first wife blames the missing camper killer for her daughter’s death and includes secret diary entries detailing alleged abuse during their marriage.
Lisa Lynn’s grieving family said she wrote about death threats and verbal abuse in the months before she was found dead in the front yard of the spacious Mount Macedonia home she shared with her husband, Greg, and their two children.
“In my opinion, Greg is responsible for my daughter’s death as a result of mental torture. I know that she lived in absolute fear of Greg. Her actions were a combination of the fear and terror she experienced,” Lisa’s mother wrote in a document read during the trial. Lynn’s pretrial hearing.
Lisa Lynn’s death in October 1999 was 25 years before the former airline pilot’s death. found guilty of murdering a stranger In the remote woodlands of the High Country.
Details of Gregory and Lisa Lynn’s relationship, his interactions with police after her death – which the coroner did not find suspicious – and a series of court hearings into allegations he committed crimes against his wife before her death may be revealed after a gag order ended overnight.
This followed a more than year-long battle by media outlets to overturn the suppression order and uncover the details Judge Michael Croucher considered when sentencing Gregory Lynn to 32 years in prison for the March 2020 murder of 73-year-old camper Carol Clay.
He was found not guilty of murdering 74-year-old Russell Hill at the same Wonnangatta Valley campsite, then put Clay and Hill’s bodies in the back of his caravan and drove through the night to another remote area, where he hid the remains and returned later to cremate them.
Court records show Gregory Lynn was released on a $300 good behavior bail without conviction in May 1999 after pleading guilty to escaping lawful custody during a police-escorted visit to his Mount Macedon home.
At the same hearing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court he also pleaded guilty to two breaches of an intervention order in April 1999.
Charges dropped by the court following Lisa Lynn’s death included threatening to kill her in April 1999 and breaching an intervention order in the same month.
It came as the court heard there had been a bitter separation and custody dispute before Lisa Lynn was found dead in the front garden of her home.
A coroner found that he died under natural circumstances from a combination of prescription medication and alcohol poisoning in October 1999, while his two young sons remained alone in his spacious cottage on Zig Zag Road. No one has been charged in his death.
Following his conviction for the murder of the missing camper, the court heard that Lisa Lynn was his most significant relationship. The pair met while he was working as an RAAF signals operator when she was 21 and he was 19.
The pair moved to Western Australia and then Tasmania together before moving back to Victoria in the mid-to-late 90s; Here he was heavily involved with the church.
The court heard that when their relationship became difficult, Gregory Lynn moved out of the family home and began a relationship with another woman.
Court orders were later put in place restricting his contact with Lisa and their two young sons.
Lynn married his current wife, Melanie, in 2004.
In May 2024, during courtroom proceedings with no jury present, Crown Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu stated that he had called on the family of Lynn’s late husband to testify about his character and how they claimed Lisa Lynn died as a result of his persistent abusive methods.
Porceddu said the defendant obtained an unsigned statement from police records in which he admitted to previous behavior, including breaking into his family’s home, stealing keys, taking a car and once pushing his then-wife, Lisa Lynn.
Porceddu also read a statement from Lisa Lynn’s family, who asked not to be identified.
Her father said his daughter was afraid of Lynn’s reaction and lived in terror, so he did not press charges against her after they broke up.
“All was well when their relationship began. Greg was in and out of various jobs for a while,” his father wrote to the Supreme Court.
“I was aware that Greg was always verbally abusive. [putting] with Lisa since the marriage began. Before they broke up… Greg was making very serious death threats against her, and they continued until she died.
“Lisa kept a diary from the day Greg left the marriage… the threats and verbal abuse Greg made to the children….
“I also realize that the police need to help Lisa. [intervention order] As a result of the above, Greg broke into the house and stole the car, leaving Lisa with two young children and no transportation…no money. Family court, child support is very complicated and painful for Greg. “Greg makes completely unreasonable demands.”
Porceddu also read a statement from Lisa Lynn’s mother, who said Lynn did not support her ex-partner after the separation and frequently subjected him to physical and psychological abuse.
“I made many trips to Mount Macedon to help Lisa with the kids as she was not getting any support from Greg,” she wrote.
“In addition to not getting any support from Greg, he frequently subjected her to physical and psychological abuse. He would get angry for no reason, blaming Lisa for anything that went wrong. He was yelling… things, pushing her around. I wasn’t inclined to intervene, so Lisa begged me not to intervene. Lisa would tell me that if I got involved… ‘it would make it worse for me.’
“He has a twisted mind. He has done similar things to animals and neighbours’ pets in the past and refused to feed children. On one occasion, at the Macedon Hotel, in a fit of uncontrolled rage, he verbally attacked a man in the bar… then when we left the hotel, he directed his anger at Lisa.”
The statements were withheld from the jury because Lynn’s defense team described them as prejudicial.
Detective Senior Constable Brett Florence was previously asked about Lynn’s background. He noted that some things remained in the police file.
Florence told a pre-trial hearing: “Mr Lynn’s previous wife was found dead and an inquest was held into her death. The file of the inquest into that… she… was taken back to the property and while in custody she escaped from custody and was later arrested.”
Florence said police records show that after escaping from custody, Lynn hid in a nearby bush and was trying to find something “hidden” in the Macedonia area.
He was arrested again a short time later, the officer said.
“[Police database] SPLASH [also] stated that the intervention order was violated.”
In January 2023, judge Brett Sonnet ordered that information about the killer’s previous interactions with police be suppressed, and later strengthened that order in November 2024 after accusing one of the country’s largest media organizations of “outrageous, unfair reporting.”
Including lawyers of media organizations messenger of the sunThe ABC and this imprint appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to argue that a restraining order blocking the broadcast following Lynn’s conviction should be lifted.
Instead, Sonnet largely used the hearing to argue that it was the “unified opinion” of all the justices and the court. messenger of the sun The story highlighting the deportation at a recent education conference was inaccurate and reduced to “the lowest standard imaginable.”
Sonnet said before he strengthened the crackdown order, the press was already doing extensive coverage of Lynn’s case and “pretty much every topic you can do.”
Gregory Lynn awaits decision on his appeal against his conviction and sentence for the murder of Carol Clay.
Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
