What the jury wasn’t told: Tragic ex-wife ‘lived in terror’

The mystery death of Greg Lynn’s first wife is set to be referred to the coroner in a bid for a fresh inquest, as the disappearance of a woman linked to the high country killer’s time as a pilot for Qatar Airways is also probed.

After Greg Lynn’s conviction over the murder of Carol Clay, the Herald Sun can reveal Victoria Police has asked those who know Greg Lynn about the disappearance of a woman he spent time with two decades ago.

Lynn spent five years flying passenger planes for Qatar Airways in the Middle-East before joining Jetstar in 2007.

There has been talk for many years among airline industry figures that a woman he knew had gone missing while they were both in Qatar.

Her alleged disappearance was spoken of by those who knew Lynn years before he was charged over the murders of Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

One person known to the Lynns confirmed a detective from the missing persons squad had asked whether she knew anything of the desert disappearance.

That associate had heard the stories of a woman’s disappearance but was unable to help with specific information.

The Herald Sun understands police here have not been able to confirm the veracity of the stories.

It comes as the death of the high country killer’s first wife, Lisa, is expected to be referred to the State Coroner in a bid for a fresh inquest as an earlier probe heard she “lived in terror” from her ex-husband’s constant death threats and abuse.

The Herald Sun understands missing persons detectives intend to refer a new brief of evidence to the coroner over Ms Lynn’s 1999 death after her body was found in the foetal position in the front yard of the couple’s Mount Macedon home.

Lisa Lynn’s death is expected to be referred to the coroner in a bid for a fresh inquest. Picture: Supplied

She died on October 26 of combined drug and alcohol toxicity – despite being a teetotaller – while family photo albums were found scattered on the loungeroom floor and her two sons, aged three and one, slept in their bedrooms.

It is believed an assessment has been made that there is insufficient evidence to charge the ex-pilot over his first wife’s death, despite questions emerging about his alibi that night.

But the possibility of new family violence charges being laid remains open.

In the six months before her death, Ms Lynn, 34, alleged her then ex-husband was “assaulting, harassing, threatening or intimidating” her.

Ms Lynn’s body was found in the front yard of the Mount Macedon home she had shared with her ex-husband. Picture: Supplied

During this time, Mr Lynn broke into his ex-wife’s home and stole their car.

In August 1999, just two months before she died, Ms Lynn was prescribed antidepressants, with an autopsy finding “high levels” of the medications in her system along with a blood alcohol of 0.21.

MPS investigators who reinvestigated the circumstances of Ms Lynn’s death are understood to have found new information not uncovered in the first inquiry.

Those who knew Lisa Lynn had strong doubts about whether she would take her own life well before her pilot husband was charged with murdering Russell Hill and Carol Clay.

In a statement to the Coroner’s Court, which probed Lisa Lynn’s death in 2000, her father said his daughter told him “that Greg had been making very serious death threats against her and that these continued through to her death”.

An earlier probe into Ms Lynn’s death heard she ‘lived in terror’ of her ex-husband. Picture: David Geraghty

“I know from speaking to Lisa that she was not prepared to press charges against Greg for fear of repercussions,” he told the Coroner.

“She took his threats very seriously. She was absolutely petrified and lived in terror.”

Police investigating the disappearances of the missing campers had made notes for their interview with Mr Lynn after his arrest, which included a plan to ask him about “threats made to Lisa”.

They also intended to question Mr Lynn’s current wife Melanie about “Lisa’s death and knowledge of relationship”.

In a separate statement to the Coroner’s Court, Lisa Lynn’s mother said “as far as I’m concerned, Greg is responsible for my daughter’s death by mental torture inflicted by him”.

“I know that she was living in absolute fear of Greg.”

The pair said their daughter kept a diary from the day Mr Lynn left their marriage that detailed “the abusive phone calls and death threats and verbal abuse to their children made by Greg”.

The dead woman’s mother – who made repeated trips from her Tasmanian hometown to help care for her grandchildren – said Mr Lynn would subject Lisa to “physical and mental abuse on a regular basis”, described his behaviour as “bizarre” and said he had a “warped mind”.

She spoke of seeing Mr Lynn lose his temper, “yell and throw things at (Lisa) and push her around”.

Ms Lynn’s mother said Mr Lynn had a temper and had killed ‘animals and (the) neighbour’s pet’. Picture: Supplied

“I felt very uncomfortable when these events occurred because I was not inclined to interfere and Lisa would plead with me not to interfere. Lisa would say to me that if I got involved in any verbal disagreement with Greg, it would make things worse for her when I went home.”

She detailed how Mr Lynn had killed “animals and (the) neighbour’s pet”, had “refused to feed” their two sons, and “exploded into a fit of uncontrollable rage” when he “verbally attacked” a man at the bar of the Macedon Hotel when the man spoke to Ms Lynn.

One person who knew the Lynns told the Herald Sun of how a pig once strayed onto the couple’s Mount Macedon property and Greg bludgeoned it to death with a spade.

The incident was made even worse by being witnessed by their boarder, a female co-worker from the airline industry.

“He took to it with a spade. The boarder said, ‘I’m off’. He’s obviously got issues, or a temper,” the source who knew the Lynns at the time said.

Greg Lynn stood trial for murder over the deaths of Carol Clay and Russell Hill.

A former colleague described Lisa as a quiet, beautiful woman with a lovely nature.

“She was the kind of person you’d like to be yourself, not conceited or vain, but she could have been,” the colleague said.

“She didn’t see herself as beautiful or glamorous or a fabulous cook or any of those things.”

Though they would see each other sporadically because of the nature of airline work, the colleague said it was always a pleasure when they reacquainted.

“You might not see someone for six months then there’s a burst of catching up. Whenever you’d see Lisa, you always felt so lucky to spend time with her,” the colleague said.

“She was such a soft, gentle, Christian-type of person … not in any happy clapper manner but a real turn-the-other-cheek person.”

Prosecutors in Greg Lynn’s double murder trial tried to introduce his ex-wife’s death and aspects of their relationship as evidence to the jury but it was ruled inadmissable. Picture: Supplied

When she found out a neighbour could not afford a microwave oven, she bought one and placed it on the front step with no note attached.

“She didn’t want the credit. That was Lisa,” the colleague said.

The relationship was volatile with Greg treating Lisa appallingly.

“She adored him. She gave so much. She changed her whole life for him,” the colleague said.

“She didn’t deserve to end up with someone who didn’t value her. He wasn’t super-handsome or charming. He was just there.

“I couldn’t see what brought them together. He wasn’t interested in her friends. I thought, ‘What does she see in him’?”

Prosecutors in Greg Lynn’s double murder trial tried to introduce his ex-wife’s 1999 death and aspects of their relationship as evidence to the jury, suggesting it was “relevant” to his character.

They considered calling Lisa’s parents and her doctor, who she’d made a report to about “violence”, as witnesses in the trial, and getting the dead woman’s journal that made detailed accounts of the abuse she suffered.

But the evidence was ruled inadmissable and the jury never heard about Lisa Lynn.