The defence barrister also accused the prosecution of wasting the jury’s time by presenting evidence that wasn’t in contention,such as the type of tent Hill and Clay used,and also presenting “half-baked” theories. Among those,Dann said,was that on Lynn’s version of events on how the shooting occurred,the prosecution said Hill and Lynn would have become tangled in a guy rope.
“You might’ve thought that was the centrepoint of the[prosecutor’s] final address. But it’s a matter of absolute insignificance,” Dann told the court.
“The prosecution are clinging to the flimsy rope as if it’s their lifeline.”
Dann said the prosecution had failed to establish that Lynn murdered anyone.
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He said that whenLynn was in the witness box last week,prosecutor Daniel Porceddu failed to question the accused man on his version of events regarding the knife that Lynn says killed Hill.
“That sit well with any of you? How can it?” Dann asked the jury on Wednesday.
“How can you find someone guilty in a factual vacuum?
“They just don’t have a case. No meat on the bones.”
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Lynn says Clay died when he and Hill struggled over a shotgun and it fired,and that Hill died during a subsequent struggle over a kitchen knife.
Lynn’s wife,Melanie Lynn,and son Geordie Lynn moved downstairs into the body of the court for the first time on Wednesday and sat about two metres in front of the accused,who is seated behind glass.
Melanie Lynn,dressed in a pink and blue skirt suit,and Geordie Lynn,in a black suit and red tie,held hands and leant on each other during Wednesday’s hearing.
On Tuesday,the prosecution compared Lynn’s explanationof how Clay and Hill died at the remote campsite as having a strong resemblance to a collection of children’s books.
“A series of very unfortunate events,like the book series of that name – it is also complete fiction,” Porceddu told the jury.
“You should readily reject it beyond reasonable doubt.”
Porceddu told jurors they should reject the accused former pilot’s claims that the deaths were accidental.
Prosecutors allege Lynn killed the pair with murderous intent,probably after a dispute over Hill’s drone.
A new podcast from 9News,The Age and 9Podcasts will follow the court case as it unfolds.The Missing Campers Trial is the first podcast to follow a jury trial in real time in Victoria. It’s presented by Nine reporter Penelope Liersch and Age reporter Erin Pearson.