The Supreme Court trial of a former pilot, accused of murdering campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill in the remote Victorian Alps, has been fixed.
Gregory Lynn appeared in court on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing to set down a timetable for the case despite his lawyer Dermot Dann KC saying issues surrounding Mr Lynn’s legal funding had “intensified”.
“We’re not in a position to assure the court that the money’s in place,” he said.
“Every avenue was and is being pursued. I think by October we’ll know one way or another.
“Other than that I’m prepared to proceed.”
Mr Lynn has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, alleged to have occurred in Victoria’s high country in March 2020.
He was arrested more than a year and a half later, in November 2021, following an extensive police investigation.
Police allege Mr Lynn was involved in a deadly fight with the high-school sweethearts at the remote campground in the Wonnangatta Valley, later disposing of their bodies in bushland.
Ms Clay, 73, and Russell Hill, 74, disappeared a day after arriving at the campsite on March 19, with the discovery of the burnt remains of their tent and belongings sparking an extensive search.
Partial remains allegedly linked to the pair were discovered more than 20 months later within the Alpine National Park.
Mr Dann told the court that even if legal funding remained an issue, he was prepared for the trial to be listed, as his client was “anxious” for the trial to proceed.
“The last thing he wants is to upset that timetable,” he said.
Judicial registrar Tim Freeman set the trial down to begin on February 13 next year, estimated to run for up to six weeks.
The court was told Mr Lynn would next return before the Supreme Court in October as “very significant” pre-trial issues were litigated between the parties.