Former pilot Greg Lynn has had his conviction for murdering an elderly camper in the Victorian high country overturned in a stunning decision made by the state’s highest court.

Lynn, 59, was found guilty in June last year of murdering 73-year-old grandmother Carol Clay in 2020, but was acquitted of murdering her fellow camper and lover Russell Hill, 74.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in prison for murdering Clay.

The Victorian court of appeal on Thursday ruled that Lynn’s conviction be overturned, and ordered that a new trial should be held in the case.

In their judgment, the judges said: “Unhappily, we have concluded that the conduct of prosecuting counsel so compromised the fairness of the applicant’s trial that a substantial miscarriage of justice resulted.”